Third Time's the Charm
by Sea Rover Tactician
Summary: He was so tired of losing everything. Twice he'd tried, and the second time had only brought more pain than the first. Only with the urging of the last person he has left, he decides to try this one last time. This time, he's doing it his way. / Time Travel, possible slash
1. Preface

_**Why can I never stay in a fandom long enough to write something decent?**_

 _ **Well, whatever! New story, here we go!**_

 _ **Ah, if you have a problem with Luffy/Sabo, or Luffy/Ace (maybe both pff) then any of my One Piece fics that come out probably aren't for you, ahahaha...**_

 _ **Just gonna say here: I'm going to experiment with as much Canon divergence as possible without changing their route.**_

 _I..._

In one life he holds back, unwilling to be an unreachable power goal, forever matching his first mate. It was Sabo's idea, once upon a time when they were children.

In another life he is overconfident, strong from another life of experience, but body soft and lacking the physical training. It was how Ace had done it, and he should have realized the flaws.

 _I want to become …_

They say the third time's the charm, and Luffy is going to put this to the ultimate test. It was time to disregard the old promises, time to cast away the advice and actions of brothers who were now decades younger than him in all ways but physically.

 _Stronger_

In his first life, he'd gotten sloppy and his Nakama weren't pushed to their best. Bartholomew had successfully separated them in Sabody, and while he wouldn't give up meeting the women of Amazon Lily for practically anything, his weakness had gotten the better of him.

 _and Stronger_

In his second life, it had almost been boring. East Blue had been a breeze for him, but he hadn't realized how much vital experience he had taken from his crew. He'd been a formidable force, being able to use Haki, but he'd lacked in his training, and so had his crew.

 _and Stronger_

In his first life, he'd lost his brother. His other half had died because he'd been too weak, alone, and blunt, not knowing how to do so many things because he was too busy waiting for his crew to catch up to the boy who's lived in a forest, fighting for his life most of his childhood.

 _and Stronger_

The title of Pirate King had been dulled knowing his brother's only regret was being unable to see him achieve it. That his Ace wasn't there, even if Sabo was, had left a gaping wound in his heart that was only partially mended after he used One Piece to see him again.

 _and Stronger_

In his second life, he'd lost so much more. Overconfident as the Pirate king, he'd forgotten to train his younger body, and though he could take out most before Alabasta easily enough, Marineford had still destroyed him from the inside out.

 _and Stronger_

He'd had his crew with him, and he lost so many. Even his brother hadn't made it out of that fight alive. But Luffy did. Luffy always did.

 _and Stronger_

Sabo had tried to hold him together when Luffy found him in his second life. Tried to glue the pieces together, pulling his little brother into the revolutionaries with him, but in the end they all knew it was irreparable.

 _and Stronger_

At the end of Luffy's second life, he'd almost decided to just give up. To just accept that he'd failed, fucked up royally, couldn't fix what he'd broken. However, his remaining brother, the one who'd always lived on, the one who always tried to heal Luffy with all the love of an entire family… Finally Sabo got the story out of the youngest Revolutionary.

 _and Stronger_

The Blond had talked Luffy into one more try. Talked Luffy into doing things his own way, not the way Sabo brought up one time when he was 10, or the way a young adult Ace had done things. He'd gone with Luffy to find One Piece, supporting his little - older? - brother with an arm around his shoulders, wishing away the conflict on his face.

 _and Stronger_

"I'll tell Dragon to say 'Hi' to you, okay? So come out of hiding a little faster this time!" If it wasn't the scared look on Luffy's face, still as young looking as ever, Sabo would have laughed. He was still so scared to lose the last person he had left _to_ lose. He was the only one the Pirate King had yet to actually see die.

 _and Stronger_

"How about something more than a 'Hi'? Make younger me need to come out. Maybe scare me with something; I deserve it." Sabo did let himself laugh a little, if in a slightly depreciating way. He really did deserve whatever Luffy could think of for taking so long to reveal himself; in neither of the youngest's lifetimes did Sabo have a chance to see Ace alive again.

 _and Stronger_

Luffy nods, already trying to think up a way that he could see Sabo again, before Marineford if he could. The man had become his safety blanket, his proof that it was possible for his loved ones to _live_. He didn't even have to try it seemed, for Sabo to live on, and it was comforting to see it every time he looked at him.

 _and Stronger_

The Pirate King turned away from his brother, eyes roaming over the doorway before One Piece. With Sabo's stealth and Luffy's foreknowledge of how to get there, the two had managed to find the treasure that was One Piece without anyone being the wiser. Well, Dragon likely knew, but that was fine; their father wouldn't stop them or challenge them for this in any way.

 _and Stronger_

Suddenly feeling miles away from his little brother, the one he'd protected alongside their eldest so long ago, Sabo didn't even think before he'd wrapped his arms around the shoulders of the still so small, so skinny, so _young_ boy. " _This_ me will never see you again, will I, Lu?" It was selfish of him, he knew it, but his life just wouldn't be the same after all these years working together. He was going to lose his light very soon.

 _and Stronger_

Luffy's rubbery hands gripped the black sleeves wrapped in front of him tightly. "If things are okay next time… I'll wish myself back, alright? I'll… I'll be fine when they're all okay." He was so quiet these days, so unnaturally restrained, and it broke Sabo's heart thinking he'd be happier in another life, without him there to hold him up. "But you gotta let me go, Sabo."

 _and Stronger_

"Promise me." He was so _goddamn selfish_. He couldn't just let his Luffy go, let him start over again without his weight added on top of his shoulders. "Promise me I'll see you again, someday."

 _And even stronger than that_

"... I promise."

 _And then, I will be able to protect anything_

 _I won't have to lose anyone ever again_

 _ **How far are you willing to go?**_

 _Until I die_

Luffy smiled that bright smile, the one he'd lost when his Nakama had died following him into a war they had no reason to be a part of. He knew they wouldn't have had it any other way, but this time, he'd make sure they were all ready for it.

Leaning back into Sabo's hold, Luffy allowed himself a few more moments of comfort before the real work began.

"I'll come back to you, Sabo, even if I have to leave everything behind to do it. Maybe I can bring Ace with me!" The King laughed, hope shining again as he finally realized he would have another chance. He could see his siblings again, and maybe they could actually have a chance to see each other too.

But he'd have to leave this one behind. He'd have to leave behind the brother who knew everything, the brother he was closest to, and if he were honest, the brother he loved more than anything. It was so tempting to just stay there and wallow in his guilt, living with the revolutionaries, wrapped up in his safety blanket like he was now.

But he needed this. He needed Zoro. He needed Nami. He needed Ussop, and Sanji, and Vivi, and Chopper, and Robin, and Franky, and Brooke. He needed Ace. He needed to know that they were all alive somewhere, before he could be truly content here.

"You gotta let me go."

It went unspoken that Luffy's grip on Sabo's sleeve was tighter than a pair of seastone cuffs, simultaneously trying to gently remove his brother, and never wanting to let go.

 ** _I needed more Time Travel in my life._**

 ** _I also needed more ASL sibling interaction._**

 ** _SO YEAH_**


	2. No holding back?

**_Quick update, since it was mostly done already!_**

 ** _Looks like the story might be a little slow going, but I bought a million motivators with my tax return *coughs* hopefully this_** **perfect** **** ** _Ace figurine will keep me inspired until he comes into the story C:_**

 **Chapter One** : " _No holding back"_

When Luffy opened his eyes it was to a cramped space and little to no light. He didn't know how he hadn't noticed the weakness in his limbs last time he did this, but with the difference even bigger than before, there was no way he could miss it. He was a fraction of his power, even if he had the experience, Haki, and knowledge of someone much stronger. His body had no muscle memory, and his rubbery limbs wouldn't be able to stand the stress of anything more than a few minutes of Gear Second. He'd have to work his way up between islands

Distracted as he tested flexing his limbs in this cramped space, Luffy forgot all about where he was and what he did the last two times. There were murmurs outside, before the roof came crashing down on the boy.

Not having bothered with Observation Haki - no one in the East Blue was strong enough to hurt him with blunt objects anyways - the fist that broke through the top of the barrel was halted when it met with the crown of his head. It didn't hurt, but so used to New World fighters, Luffy reflexively grunted in pain, though he didn't move more than an inch.

Exclamations of shock rose in the men surrounding what they thought was a wine barrel as Luffy stood, brows furrowed in thought and arms crossed. Where was he again? Twice wasn't enough for him to remember something from so long ago! When had he been in a barrel?

The Pirate swept his round eyed gaze over the men around him, a few of them starting to draw their swords while they waited for him to answer whatever they'd asked him.

"Who're you?" He blinked at them, ignoring their outraged responses as he caught sight of one of his closest friends outside of his crew. Brave little Coby, cowering at the everything around him. It would never not be weird seeing him anything but the courageous Marine he would grow up to be.

Seeing the blades coming, Luffy sidestepped them, smiling. He hadn't been to the East Blue in ages; he'd almost forgotten how weak people were outside of the New World. Swiftly, the Pirate knocked the men out with heavy blows to the back of the head or neck when they stumbled past, smile widening at Coby's shocked expression.

As though taking a cue, the now-teen's stomach growled, and Luffy grasped his empty stomach. He hadn't eaten until right after he'd set sail, if he was remembering right, and that was… quite a while ago? He was pretty sure?

"Hey, there any food around?"

Coby looked around wildly, before pointing to himself. "M-m-me?!"

The fear on his friend's face made the Pirate King frown briefly, before that shining grin came over his face. "Yup, you! So… Food?"

Seeming to fear for his life, Coby quickly led Luffy to the ship's food stores, seeming to calm as he saw how carefree the man who effortlessly defeated three of Alvida's men was. "Who are you?" He'd asked once Luffy settled down with a barrel of apples. It wasn't meat, but it would do for now.

"Monkey D Luffy! Nice to meet you." He chuckled, stuffing a bright red apple between his teeth.

"Th-that was amazing back there. How strong are you…?" Apparently the friendly tone had softened Coby's anxiety, though now he was glancing at the walls like they could be attacked at any moment. Luffy briefly wondered what he was thinking.

"Hmmmmm… Well stronger anyone on this ship, at least." Coby thought it was a bluff, after all, how could Luffy know that Iron Mace Alvida was currently invading this ship?

He decided to tell the young man exactly that. Maybe he'd be able to leave without getting killed if he knew the threat. "This cruise ship is being raided by the pirate Lady Alvida. When those guys wake up you'll be in trouble if you don't go soon."

"Whatever." The Pirate responded with a sigh. "I'll just kick her ass like I did those guys earlier!" He bellowed out a loud laugh, reaching out to ruffle that pink hair. He couldn't help it! He was practically an old man by now, and his friend was so young and naive. Believing Alvida was so strong? Had Coby never seen any other wanted poster before?

"Y-you can't! Lady Alvida is-

"An ugly old hag." The ex-king cut in, nodding to himself. "Why are you with a sea witch like her anyways?" He asked, remembering bits of Coby's story, but wanting to make sure he'd heard it this timeline. He hadn't last time, and his friendship with Coby had suffered - at the start at least.

Tuning out Coby, Luffy wondered what he would do this time. He'd talked about it with Sabo quite a bit before they actually went through with it, but they'd both admitted that he was better going in without a plan that he was going in with one. He was going to gather his crew again, no doubt about that, but what else would he do to change things? Train them all, no doubt. No holding back. Contact his brothers more often; he'd wanted to go back far enough to enjoy his childhood with them again, but both he and Sabo agreed that he would _probably_ forget some important things before he set sail. Was there anything else he _could_ do without changing too much?

Zoro was an easy recruitment, mostly because no matter how much of a show he put on, Piracy didn't bother him so long as it didn't hold him back. It was part of the reason why they'd been such a good team, even early on when the man didn't have much faith in him as a captain.

Usopp was also an easy one, as long as he let their antagonist hit shore. All they needed to do was test the boy's courage and show him their strength. He was the easiest in the crew to pick up, other than Zoro.

Sanji was a hard case, but Luffy figured that so long as he showed his will to the head chef - the Pirate couldn't quite remember the old man's name at the moment - Sanji would get kicked out onto his crew. Everyone wanted him to follow his dream after all, He just needed an extra push to let go of his debt to the geezer. Maybe he should tell him about Shanks?

Nami was an especially hard one though. He didn't want her to go through the pain that caused her to tear apart her shoulder again, and all he really wanted to do was knock a few fishman skulls. He'd have to show her how Pirates _should_ be to the best of his ability, and then convince her to allow him to kick Arlong's ass.

Blinking, Luffy realized that Coby had finished talking and seemed to be expecting some sort of response.

Not entirely sure where the boy left off, he decided to go for a safe response that could be either a clarification or an assumption. "You want to be a Marine?"

By the surprised look on his face, Luffy figured it would be taken as the latter. "Yes! It's my dream to be a Marine and catch bad guys! Do you... think I can do it, Luffy?" He asked hesitatingly, his excitement over his declaration fading quickly.

"If you can work up the nerve to get off this ship, I'm sure you'll be an Admiral by the time I make Pirate King!" The man stated with a loud, bellowing laugh as he remembered how close to exactly that Coby was before he found One Piece.

Of course, Coby reacted the same way he had to so many things Luffy said in the past. "I-Impossible! You don't really think I could- _Pirate King!?_ You're a Pirate, Luffy?" He looked a little betrayed, but shockingly unsurprised.

"Yeah; gonna go back to the Grand Line and be the king of them all!" The Strawhat captain grinned, tossing an apple rhythmically. He didn't want to show off, but he was a little tired of people fearing Grand Line so much. People had bad luck and too little skill if they were terrified of _Paradise_ of all things. The New World deserved that fear, but most of the Blues didn't even seem to realize that the Grand Line was separated into two parts.

"It's _my_ dream." Luffy told the soon-to-be Marine, popping the apple, core and all, into his mouth. "I'm not afraid to die getting there." He was only afraid of everyone else dying along the way.

Coby gaped at the confident boy- Man? - in front of him. He'd never met anyone so driven towards an impossible goal. Most in small villages gave up once they realized the terrors outside of, and even inside of, their own islands. If _local bandits_ gave you trouble, it was hopeless at sea. He'd known that, and he'd thought someday he might have given up on being a Marine for being so weak, but just looking at Luffy…

"Do you really think I could make Admiral someday, Luffy?" He doubted it, but Luffy's enthusiastic nod gave him courage. "I know it would make us enemies, but do you- Do you think I could capture Pirates like Lady Alvida someday?"

"Coby, I really _really_ think you can do anything if you stand up for your dream." He himself had beaten odds he shouldn't have been capable of at the time, all because of Shanks' hat's weight against his back or his Nakama at his side. Heck, he was _here,_ wasn't he?

"I'll do it! I'll escape and join the Marines! Then Lady Alvid- no, I'll catch _Alvida_ first!"

Just like he remembered, as thought she was listening to the whole damn thing, the center of the ceiling broke under the heavy weight of an Iron Mace. Luffy had to backstep away from where he'd still been munching away at the fruit, if only to avoid revealing his trump cards.

In order to retrain his body for battle, he didn't plan on using any Haki, or his Devil Fruit outside of emergency, until they reached the Croc. He'd exercise his elasticity on the ship.

A voice that could have been pretty if she pulled her tone from her gut rather than her nose/throat bellowed through the room, dust starting to settle as it revealed the large form of the vain Pirate Alvida. "Who are you going to catch!? COBY!"

The pink haired boy cowered from the towering woman, and Luffy put his hand on his head, trying to calm his old friend down. He _really_ hated seeing him like this, now that he'd seen what he'd become. All of the trauma from abuse on this ship had been easy to rid him of in the end, but it didn't change the fact that no one should be this terrified of their captain.

"What kind of captain are you?" He asked her, a dark scowl on his face. "He wouldn't want to leave and catch you so bad if you were a halfway decent captain."

An incredulous noise came out of her mouth, before she raised her weapon high above her head. "Who are _you_ to say that to _me_ , huh!?"

Luffy grabbed Coby around the shoulders as he screamed, leaping backwards out of her range. "What happens today is up to you, Coby. Are you ready to decide?" He asked, putting the boy down on his own feet.

Luffy didn't spare him a glance as he watched Alvida come out from the dust again. What space was left was cramped, but all the better for him; he didn't need as much room as she did, even when protecting someone else.

At least Coby was small enough to toss around if he needed to.

"Coby!" Alvida called out, making the boy flinch and Luffy to get ready to strike. "Who is the most beautiful woman on the sea?" Her demand was met by stutters, and Luffy looked back to hear what Coby had to say. Would he stand up for himself, or would he need another push like the last two times?

"Th-that is, of course, y-y-you! Lady Al-"

Luffy sighed internally. One more push then. "That's Boa Hancock, of course!" He cut in with an unapologetic grin. "Everyone knows that!" Heck, it was practically her default title, considering how many times he'd heard people say it before. "What, you think an fat old hag like you can compete? Shishishi!"

Her face was turning purple as jaws hit the floor, Luffy's laughter covering up all of the "EH!?"s in the room. Blood vessels in Alvida's face pulsed angrily as she yelled incoherently before going in for another attack. Luffy grabbed Coby again, by the collar of his shirt, leaping up and out of the storage room, through the hole she'd made earlier.

Quickly, Luffy knocked out the Pirate crew as they attacked, extremely disappointed in their level. Why carry a sword if you don't know how to use it? The Pirate King knew he'd have to train _extensively_ on his own to keep from getting rusty, if this was some of the best East Blue had to offer.

Coby sat on the sidelines, watching in awe as this young man made short work of the crew that had kept him captive for so long. He made it look so easy!

"How strong are you, Luffy?" He asked as the Pirate came to a stop beside him. "How…?"

"I've been training longer than you've been alive, Coby!" Luffy answered with a bellowing laugh, realizing that this was probably true even in his first run of this lifetime. He'd been 'training' with Garp since he could walk, basically. "It'd be hard to find a match for me on this Blue."

As what seemed to be a trend, a loud crashing noise announced Alvida had caught up to them. Coby quickly moved to cower behind Luffy, not entirely sure still if Luffy was strong enough to take on the captain.

"You seem pretty strong." The woman stated, looking at all of her downed men with a tick in her brow. "Are you some sort of bounty hunter?"

Luffy could admit, with the temper she'd shown just moments ago, she was showing considerable restraint in order to learn about her opponent. He should fix that. "Nah~ Who'd want a Bounty as low as yours anyway? Shishishi!" Even those two friends of Zoro's wouldn't go after someone like her, he liked to think.

"You-!" The woman growled lowly, turning to Coby, who froze where he stood. "Tell this brat who I am!"

Yes, because it was so much more impressive when you hear it from a terrified teenager.

Coby started stuttering the flattering reply the Pirate wanted, but at Luffy's gaze, disappointment coming through, he paused. The 'Future Pirate King' was expecting more of him than a mindless follower. And he was going to be a Marine, damnit! He was going to be an Admiral someday! He couldn't take orders from a Pirate Captain!

"Lady Alvida…. Alvida is an ugly old sea witch!" The boy's shout resonated through the two ships, silence meeting his brave declaration. Sweat poured down Coby's neck as he waited for a response.

Loud and proud, Luffy's bellowing laughter was the first reply the pink haired boy received, and somehow the careless noise gave him courage. It withered, but didn't fade, when Alvida rose her mace in her rage.

"Good job, Coby!" Luffy praised, relieved that any behaviour change he'd had didn't change the courage hiding in the soon to be Marine. "Leave this to me!"

Suddenly, Coby found himself shoved out of range of the attack, and the skinny young man was on top of the spiked weapon, using his extra weight to force it down harder. The mace hit the deck, breaking the floor and in the process, got stuck in the wood under his surprisingly considerable weight. With a grin, a little less friendly, and a little more challenging, Luffy kicked the underside of her jaw while she struggled with her weapon, before smashing the heel of the same foot against her upturned face.

It was a quick knockout, and Luffy found himself extremely disappointed. Where were the new world pirates when he really needed them? Wanting a real fight was a 'need', right? He wanted to hurry up and fight the Croc.

Turning to an awestruck Coby - he couldn't wait for him to stop being surprised by powerful people - Luffy waved him over. "Wanna turn in your first Pirate? I hear there's a Marine base nearby!"

Coby was quick to gather some rope, however, once the woman was tied securely, he caught sight of a Marine ship in the distance. For a moment he was torn. Depending on how it went, he would either get arrested, or have a chance to enlist, and for a moment, that sounded good enough for him. Then he looked at Luffy.

The young man - a pirate - was already watching the Marine ship with a thoughtful look, head tilted in what Coby thought might be worry. If they got here, and Luffy was still on the ship, not only would Coby risk himself being arrested, but Luffy himself would undoubtedly be jailed.

"We've got to get out of here, Luffy!" The pink haired boy yelled, running off to find the cruise ship's dinghy. "They'll arrest us if we're caught here-!"

Luffy laughed, ignoring what the boy was saying. He never really understood why he had avoided the Marines so much when he hadn't made a name for himself. He wasn't a wanted man, and he hadn't yet done anything to warrant arrest. He just had to avoid telling them he was a Pirate. Maybe he could even name-drop his Grandfather…

Oh yeah, that was probably why he avoided the Marines so much. His Grandfather could have been anywhere behind him once he found out Luffy left to be a Pirate. It hadn't been that long yet, however. Looking at Coby, the Pirate King grinned; he could name drop once or twice here.

"No worries, Coby! I'm not officially a Pirate until I get my First Mate, and we've got the invading captain right here. We'll just turn her in, they'll take us to the nearest island, and you can enlist in the Marines." He laughed at Coby's baffled expression, ignoring the cannon balls as they crashed into the ocean around them.

 ** _If you see any mistakes, please tell me!_**

 ** _Also, ScarletRoofs, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I WANTED TO START WITH SHANKS AND ASL'S CHILDHOOD BUT_**

 ** _BUT... SabO'S NOT DUMB ENOUGH TO THINK LUFFY'S MEMORY IS THAT GOOD_**


	3. Cowards

**_I'm... Still going? Normally I'd have already lost my drive to write, pfff. Though, I guess it's always because I fall out of the fandom and lose interest. I don't see that happening here for a long while, haha~_**

 ** _Here's to the long haul!_**

 **Chapter Two** : _Cowards_

The boys sat across from each other, Alvida in a heap by Luffy, when the Marines boarded the ship.

The blackened limb Luffy was showing Coby - never too early to teach his friend and rival the basics - faded back to the texture-free tanned skin tone, the rubbery fingers flexing reflexively. Coby blinked rapidly, unused to the sight that was so rarely even mentioned in the East Blue, before turning his eyes to the Marines.

The Marine-to-be couldn't believe all he'd seen today; it was like some strange sort of fantasy come to life! For one thing, he was rescued, finally, after two years of practically being a prisoner on this Pirate crew. Luffy had made a comment regarding how he'd been a hostage of his own fear and… he couldn't deny it.

For another thing, his rescuer had taken them out so effortlessly. That was without even using this strange power the man had just been showing him. The ability to… 'Manifest your own willpower'? Whatever it was, Luffy let him feel it, and it was hard as steel! Though, Luffy's _actual_ skin texture was weird itself. A side effect of using this 'Haki' too often, maybe?

Now, the Marines were flooding onto the deck of the cruiser, Luffy waving merrily at them as they took in the scene before them. Every pirate was out cold, left to lay there uselessly. The only one tied up was their captain, who lay beside Luffy's seated form.

The once-King rose from his place in front of Coby, who quickly scrambled up as well. With a quick look over the apparent leader's uniform, the boy huffed before snapping into a salute. He disliked the thought of _saluting_ to a Lieutenant, but it would get his grandfather to stop sniffing him out if the report sent in for his actions was positive. Though, no report at all was still the best option, in his personal opinion.

Maybe a report with 'good behavior would make Gramps think he'd finally caved and gone to be a Marine. Should let him relax a bit.

"Pirate Captain Alvida captured, and hostage recovered." Luffy addressed, gesturing to Coby when he mentioned the hostage. "I believe the civilians aboard this ship had all fled before I arrived, Lieutenant."

Coby starred, a little put off by the sudden change in behaviour. Wasn't this man just saying he'd be a pirate as soon as he found a first mate? That he would be the Pirate King someday? But now he was acting like some... some sort of-!

The young man stuck his tongue out at the pink haired boy once he'd gained access to the Marine patrol ship. With the lower ranked crew members running around, tying up the Pirate crew and dragging them to the lowest level of their ship, Luffy followed the Lieutenant onto the small ship, an arm thrown around Coby's shoulders.

Coby was almost positive this was a dream now.

"You're Vice-Admiral Garp's Grandson!?"

"Aa." Luffy confirmed with a care-free grin, hands braced against his chair between his knees as he tapped his toes against the table legs. "He doesn't know I've set sail for adventures yet, though."

The Marine looked mildly surprised, but accepting enough. When he turned his round eyes to Coby, however, the shock and plain disbelief was still growing on his expression. The look on his face made the rubber-man burst out into laughter.

"'Monkey D' isn't really a common name, Coby!" He finally giggled out, hiding the unnaturally wide stretch of his grin under his hand. "Geezer might be a handful, but he's family." _Family that let your bond brother die in every lifetime_ Luffy shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. The old man had let him past easily in every life too; even if he didn't do anything to help them, he didn't do much to hinder them either. _He still tried harder to stop you than to stop them_

The frown on Luffy's face was fleeting, and quickly covered up with a whining comment about how rough Garp's training had been. He barely remembered those days anymore, but he remembered well enough that his muscles twinged in phantom pain at the thought of them. How many insects had he forced himself to eat as a child to stay alive?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Luffy looked up to the Marine again. "Do you think you could take us to the nearest Naval Base to turn in the bounty? With the Marine-pickup deduction, of course." He was pretty sure that wasn't what it was called, but that's _essentially_ what it was.

"Ah, the _Marine assist fee_." Luffy laughed internally. Yeah, that. _Assist fee_. Pffff. "I'm sure since it's simply a drop-off, the Captain will waive the fee for Garp's grandson..." Seeing the brief look of discomfort, Luffy sat back, glad to see they were going where he needed to go.

It would take a few good hours, but it would still be faster than taking that dinghy they took last time. Anything was better than being late here. Anything was better than finding a broken little girl when they arrived.

Turning to Coby, Luffy grinned, already feeling bored after a moment of silence. "Wanna spar on deck?"

Coby really should have tried harder to say no. Apparently stutters equaled 'yes' to the man.

Coby hit the ground for what had to be the hundredth time in the last hour, vision blurring slightly as his head hit the ground. Why was he doing this? "Again!" Oh, right. Luffy had apparently taken it upon himself to train him while they were still together.

The younger and newer Marines had gathered around to watch, wondering about this odd straw hat wearing brat who'd taken down a pirate Captain. They quickly discarded the word 'brat' watching him effortlessly toss the other boy to the ground repeatedly. 'Bully' might have been a better word in their minds.

But no matter what they might have thought, Coby just kept getting back up, and Luffy was proud. He knew Coby was reaching his boundary, a hurdle that would take a long time before he learned to fight past it, but he was still getting up and throwing those sloppy punches. None of them _hit_ Luffy, but that was fine. He was getting back up, and that was all that mattered.

It probably helped that he wasn't hitting Coby himself, just tossing him or sweeping his legs out.

Eventually, Coby hit that wall, and Luffy didn't have to stick his leg out for him to trip and fall, falling flat on his face. A few chuckles came from their little audience, and Luffy shot them all a look that had them taking a step back.

"Not bad, Coby. You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would!" He finally said with a laugh when he couldn't stand up on his own. The Pirate offered his hand to the downed boy, helping him up and taking the weight he couldn't support.

For a moment, Coby was ashamed that he couldn't even get one hit in, but quickly shook it off remembering what he'd seen and been told. Able to take out Alvida in two hits, and 'training longer than you've been alive!' came to mind, then the Haki and the fact that Luffy _hadn't used it_.

No, he had no reason to be ashamed. But how had Luffy dodged every single one of his hits? He hadn't even felt the need to block any, just twisting out of the way or side stepping! Was it that Haki stuff he mentioned earlier?

So he asked. "Luffy, were you using that other Haki you mentioned?" It had something to do with foresight, right?

The man blinked. "Observation Haki? Nah, people in the Blues are usually slow enough that I can keep up without it easy." Somehow, instead of being insulted by the ease Luffy could take him on, he felt lightened. After all, everyone in the East Blue was in this category for him, even Alvida was! "Everyone on this ship is probably really slow! Shishishi~"

Some of the watching crewmates called foul, taking offense to what the thin boy said. A few even stepped forward, hands tightly clenched and told him to talk with his fists.

Coby watched worriedly. Would Luffy beat down this crew as easily as the last? Would it be such a good idea to do so? What if the Lieutenant came out and thought they were assaulting naval officers!

It seemed Luffy, however, wasn't done with his surprises. He sent a bored look over the hot-heads, frowning slightly as he walked towards them. The Marines, some Luffy's age, most older, tensed when he got close, but…

He walked right past them, headed for the bow of the ship. "You guys aren't worth the time." He stated bluntly. Coby felt like crying as the Marines' nervousness faded back into offence.

"Try and say that with my fist in your gut!" One bellowed, but didn't act. No matter their bark, they seemed to know on a very primal level that Luffy's bite was far stronger than their own. It seemed Luffy knew it too, seeing as he didn't bother to reply, sitting on top of the canon at the head of the ship like nothing happened.

The next few hours passed rather uneventfully, even if some of the Pirates below deck were waking up and having a shouting match with the one in charge of watching them. Occasionally Luffy would snicker, somehow hearing what was said down there, but for the most part, he stared over the water's surface silently, a small smile on his face.

It took him a while, but eventually Coby realized that Luffy was staring out over the horizon in the direction of Loguetown, or more accurately, the entrance to the Grand Line. What he didn't know, was that Luffy was practically vibrating with excitement, only dampened by the lingering doubt and fear his last two tries had left him with. He couldn't wait to see his family again, even if he had to earn their trust back again. Even if they didn't know him like he knew them. He _couldn't wait_ to see Ace alive, laughing, and dining and dashing to his heart's content. _He couldn't wait to see both of his brothers alive together._

It wasn't long before they docked, the Marines carting out the Pirate crew, while Luffy carried Alvida on his shoulder. That got him a few odd looks, but he was past caring; he'd never see most of these people again, if he remembered right. Even if he did, it's not like he's ever cared about first impressions… There were only four people in this village that mattered to him in the slightest anyways.

Walking through the town was strange. What he remembered being an almost-lively town seemed too quiet, and the Marines looked uncomfortable walking through the quiet town. While Luffy frowned, eyes darting from one side of the road to the other, Coby was the one who brought it up.

"Where are all the civilians?" The question wasn't answered, the Marines acting like they hadn't heard it, but the looks on their faces, eyes staring up at the Naval Base, and the tense muscles in their shoulders was answer enough for Luffy.

He was slightly disappointed he hadn't realized it instantly. With the townsfolk terrified of their own captain, the Marine patrol coming back had them hiding as soon as they saw it at the dock. The fact that it was early because of them likely didn't help their anxiety.

Right, so that didn't change, of course. He'd still have to kick Morgan's ass.

When they reached the gate, Luffy almost unceremoniously dropped Alvida to the ground. He had a swordsman to look for after all! But he was early enough that he could spare the time, and Nami would be happy to have a few extra Beli in her pocket when they got her. Besides, he wanted to see what was up with that statue he kept breaking this time.

So, for the first time in three lifetimes, Luffy walked through the front door of a Marine base without being forced.

And he felt bored almost as soon as he stepped inside. Everything was white and bland, and while he knew it was probably the Captain's fault, there was nothing personal about the base; It looked like it had just been painted days ago it was so clean and bare. Even the outside was more exciting to look at than the inside!

The Pirate king waited impatiently for them to sort everything out, leaving it to Coby and the Marine. He never did ask the guy for his name, now that he thought about it. Oh well, there was enough to remember without adding another name.

He heard Garp's name several times, before the nameless Marine came back, handing him a sizable drawstring bag. Taking a peek, he could see a sizable number of 1,000 Beli bill bundles. He didn't bother to do the math on it, knowing it would take him _way_ too long. Where was his Blue Gentleman when his brain was really needed? The Pirate King needed him FAR more than the Revolutionaries did…

Luffy snorted and grinned at his own train of thought, pulling the drawstring closed. There was at least a couple million Beli here, decent for the east blue, but probably the smallest bounty given to people he'd fight from here out.

"Thanks for the help." Luffy clapped the taller man's shoulder, and tied the strings to one of the belt loops on his shorts. "Hope we didn't take your patrol too off track."

"Ah, no sir! It was only a few hours out, no trouble at all!" The Pirate tilted his head at the nervous look on the Marine's face. Was the Base Captain standing behind him or something? A quick look said no, no he was not. Probably just skittish being stuck here and eager to get back to the sea.

Shrugging, Luffy smiled over at Coby, who'd been watching the proceedings with rapt attention; you never knew what job you'd be saddled with in the Marines. "How about you go ahead and join, Coby? I'll go write you a letter of recommendation or something." Never mind that he was terrible at writing _anything_ , let alone something so important and formal. That'd been a pain in his remaining family's ass the last few years.

The Pink haired boy blinked up at Luffy for a moment, before turning to the Lieutenant, blowing low at the waist. "Please let me enlist, Lieutenant Souma!" Luffy huffed hearing the name, knowing it'd stick with him solely because he'd made a point _not_ to learn it.

The Marine looked taken aback, but with a quick look at Luffy, whose grin was proud and expectant, he hesitantly answered the hopefully teen. "I'd have to get it approved with the base Captain…" The man could feel the sweat roll down the side of his face. "If I remember correstly, Captain Morgan is… _busy_ this afternoon, but I should be able to get you some time this evening… if that's alright with you, sir?"

"Huh? Why're you asking me?" The Pirate asked when he realized the Marine was waiting for _him_ to answer. "I mean, yeah, that's fine, we can come back later!" Quickly grabbing Coby with a strained grin, Luffy dragged the boy out while a realization came over him. Something that made him angry and far more determined to send Morgan packing.

These men weren't just afraid of their captain. They were afraid of authority in general now. And with how Helmeppo abused his father's rank, just mentioning a Vice Admiral relative had put them on edge. It made Luffy sick to his stomach. Leadership was not meant to be used the way these people used it.

As soon as they were past the gate, Luffy nudged Coby forward without him. "Luffy? What is it, you're acting a little…" He let the sentence drag, not entirely sure what was wrong. It was just plainly obvious that _something was wrong_.

"Something's weird about this Base." Was the answer the pink haired boy received, and he furrowed his brow, about to give it proper thought, before there was a bag of Beli being shoved in his face. "Go find a place to eat, I'll catch up. Save me a seat, okay?"

"Luffy…" Not finding a reason to stop him, Coby nodded slowly, watching the strange man walk off around the outside wall of the Base. Frowning, the pink haired boy thought maybe he was forgetting something about this island, before turning around and leaving him to it. Whatever Luffy ran into, or whatever happened, Coby was sure the man could handle it. Even if the one in charge of this base found out he was a Pirate-to-be, be was almost certain Luffy could take them on.

Luffy himself was eager to leave. He was going to ask for permission to explore the base and figure out the story behind that statue, maybe grab Zoro's swords early, but everything about this place went against what he stood for. It made him uncomfortable. Made his hair stand on end and his fingers itch for a fight.

It didn't take long before Luffy could feel the familiar, yet oh so foreign aura of his first-mate beyond the wall, and the rubberman quickly scrambled up the stone, eager for his first look at his best friend in a very long time. Arms keeping him on top of the wall, Luffy let his feet dangle towards the ground as he gazed fondly at the supposed 'demon'.

There he was, tied to the post like some poor, crude crucifix, heels digging into the ground, and forearms dangling weakly. His black bandana hid his green hair from view and shaded his eyes, and while most would find him frightening to look at - part of why he did it - All Luffy could think was how many signs of exhaustion it was probably hiding. He'd already been there far too long, and Luffy felt the guilt drop in his stomach. His one comfort was the heavy rise and fall of his chest, Zoro's breathing focused and meditative.

Still, he couldn't fight the grin that grew on his face. Unlike last time Luffy saw his first-mate tied up like this, Zoro was fine. As long as he got some food and water, as well as a shit ton of sleep, the man would be fine.

Luffy called out, getting his swordsman's attention. "I bet you're itching for some good sake right about now, huh?"

 ** _I can't tell you how excited I am for Loguetown! I also get to practice some actual fight scenes soon, YAY_**


	4. Faith

**_HELMEPPO IS VERY HARD FOR ME TO WRITE I almost gave up and just skipped it over, but your reviews give me life, and even if I can't guarantee a_** **quality** ** _chapter, at least it's all written and out there._**

 ** _Enjoy~_**

 **Chapter 3** : _Faith_

 _Luffy called out, getting his swordsman's attention. "I bet you're itching for some good sake right about now, huh?"_

Irritable, starving, and sore, this was probably the fastest pissing off he'd done with Zoro. His face turned red and he looked like he was only just holding himself back from yelling at the strange kid hanging off the wall, both from annoyance, and to keep him from getting killed.

After a moment of silence, Zoro finally responded. "Get lost if you don't want to die, kid." Some might hear the threat he forced into his tone, but all Luffy could do was smile. Always a hero, his first mate, though he loathed to admit it.

Laughing to himself, the young man pulled himself up to sit on the stone wall, pressing the bottoms on his feet together as his discomfort from earlier melting away into excitement. "I'm technically not trespassing yet, so they can't do anything." Not like anyone but Helmeppo or Morgan would be dumb enough to try.

"Why are you tied up out here? Aren't prisoners kept in cells?" He'd be bored asking questions he already knew the answer to, if he weren't so happy seeing his family again. Honestly, he'd force himself to do everything the same as the first time until Impel down if it meant living through his first life again.

"None of your damn business!" The Pirate Hunter snarled, glaring up at the odd boy sitting on the barrier between what he thought was life and death.

The badly hidden worry made Luffy laugh fondly. "Well, it'll probably be my business soon; I _do_ plan on recruiting you if you're a nice guy!" He told the man bluntly, clapping his feet together.

"Like hell!" Zoro snapped before collecting himself. Probably embarrassed by his temper, quickened by hunger. "You really think I want to join up with some brat? What even are you? Some sort of baby Bandit?"

That made Luffy sputter and snickered at the same time, eyes blown wide. "Do I look like a stupid Bandit to you? No, I'm gonna be a pirate once I get my first mate!"

"Like that's any better! I'm not about to lower myself to that level." Zoro snorted derisively and turned his head away as best he could, as though trying to end the conversation.

"Hmmm, so you won't join my crew if I get your stuff and set you free?" The Pirate dragged out the sentence temptingly, as though dangling something the man wanted in front of his face.

Luffy didn't quite hear his answer, something about lasting the month -he'd heard _that_ a couple times now -, turning his head at the sound of wood hitting the stone wall he sat on. At the base of the latter was a face that was familiar to him. He'd never forget the face of this brave little girl. She'd be someone great someday, though he hadn't gotten a chance to see it for himself yet.

Nervous and determined, Rika climbed her ladder with one hand, the other clutching a set of rice balls to her chest. She reached the top and shushed him, making him grin, not at all surprised to see him there. Had Zoro gotten a lot of secret visitors while he was here?

Before the girl could try to drop down to the other side - why not just turn the ladder around it? - Luffy wrapped a hand around her waist, lifting her and dropping down himself. Once safely on the ground, he put the girl back onto her feet. She barely spared him a glance and smile before running over to the tied up swordsman.

"O-oi, what are you doing!? Get her out of here you damned pirate!" He demanded Luffy, studiously ignoring how hungry he was in the face of the rice in her tiny hands. "Go home, or I'll kick you!" He finally yelled, knowing what would happen if she stayed there. He didn't give much care for the pirate, but this was a little girl, and he already knew the Marine who put him here wouldn't care about that.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her." The younger stated with a broad grin on his face, dropping a light hand onto Rika's head once he reached the pair. "Just eat it, Zoro. She went to all the trouble and you're turning it away?"

He knew it wouldn't take a lot to make the man cave, but he held firm, and he would until Rika was out of the picture. "I don't want your food! I'm not hungry!" Zoro weakly kicked out, and Luffy laughed. "Shut up! Leave me, or I'll-"

"Roronoa Zoro! Don't pick on little kids!" Luffy huffed, wondering if he was really that small or baby faced to some people. Turning to where the new voice came from, Luffy grimaced at the sight of Helmeppo, pre-Garp. He'd never wish that training on anyone, but he had to admit, it had done this jerk wonders.

The Marine walked in - dressed out of uniform in a suit of gaudy print and colors - with two others, both of whom were probably higher rank than him, but too scared of the Captain to say anything about it. The man tugged at his animal printed collar, showing off the gold rings on his hand. "I'll tell my father."

Luffy blinked. What had they been talking about? What was the dumbass going to tell his daddy? Oh right, picking on children. Bah, he was older than anyone here. Suddenly he realized that he'd never been in this position in his two lives. In one he'd been on the wall, and in the other he'd been… a little late.

"Tch… if it isn't the Captain's bastard son…" Zoro muttered under his breath, but Helmeppo plainly heard. Luffy wasn't sure Zoro had actually even been trying to hide it.

" _What was that?_ " The purple wearing man cupped his ears as though that would help him hear better. "You'd better be careful what you say; my dad is-

"Oh, don't even try a parentage fight, it's distasteful." The Pirate cut in with a grimace. It was the sort of thing Nobles did, and he always hated it. Though, he could see why it was so easy a pattern to fall into… Luffy swore to himself right then to never use Dragon or Garp to his advantage, unless it was an emergency, again

"Watch your mouth!" Helmeppo shouted, shaking a fist at the shorter man. "I could have you killed for-

"So, Zoro, what were we talking about before this idiot popped up?" Turning away from the Marines, he focused back on the swordsman, who was looking at him like he was crazy. "Oh, right! I get your swords, you join my crew! Shishishi~"

"Don't ignore me!" A hand fisted the material of Luffy's red shirt, and the Pirate allowed himself to be turned in the direction of the angry Marine. He grinned at the pissed off expression on his face. "I'll tell my father and you'll get-

"A pat on the back from a corrupt Marine? No, thanks." Taking a look around, he saw the two Marines that had followed Helmeppo both fearful and pitiful, thinking he was signing his death-wish. Rika, however, looked awed that someone was actually standing up to this man. Seeing the expressions around him… really made his pissed.

He knew Helmeppo was a good man in the future, having the rot beat out by Garp, and the kindness cultivated by Coby, but right now? Right now Helmeppo was willingly and joyfully harming innocents, taking advantage of the fear the people held for Axe-hand Morgan.

Luffy snorted. "Your dad didn't even do anything to get his rank; Captain Kuro's still out there." Which… might explain why he'd fallen to his own rank so easily. Being given something with no effort to gaining it seemed to make people feel entitled.

Raising a hand, the Pirate grasped and squeezed the hand buried in the fabric of his clothes, forcing them to release as he ground the bones together painfully. When he released the Marine, Luffy glared at him, scowl on his face. "Go ahead, tell your daddy to hunt me down and take me out. It'll be a good excuse to pound him into the ground."

Turning to Zoro, yet again ignoring his current and very pathetic enemy, Luffy turned on the sunny smile once more. "I'll take Rika home and get you something to eat later. Think about my offer, okay?"

Picking up the little girl, rice balls and all, Luffy ran off, clearing the wall with one tuck jump.

Putting the girl back onto the ground, Luffy smiled down at the awestruck child. "What do you think? I got enough time to get some food before they come after me? Shishishi!"

-.-.-.-.-

By the time Luffy found Coby, or rather, by the time Rika managed to drag him to her home/bar, he was already itching to leave again. Everyone in this town was terrified of that odd looking building at the farthest part of town.

It wasn't right, but then, it was things like this that made people better understand that things weren't black and white. Not all Marines were good, and not all Pirates were bad. Now if only the Marines themselves would realize that, then everything would be good.

Luffy explained what happened to Coby, embellishing on how ridiculous Helmeppo was, and ignored his denial that things were the way he put it. This prompted Rika telling them that Zoro was there in the first place because of her. Luffy listened, despite bearing Zoro's story like a page in his own heart, and stuffed his face with one of everything on the menu. It… was a good thing he handed in Alvida's bounty.

Whatever doubt Coby had through Luffy's story was completely destroyed by what the little girl had to say. If the Pirate Hunter hadn't stepped in, this child would have been terribly injured, or worse if _no one_ stepped in. _Because of a marine officer_.

The two people most willing to risk themselves to fight off the threat, were a Pirate hunter, the Roronoa Zoro, and a Pirate dreamer, Monkey D. Luffy.

It went against what Coby knew and believed in, but looking at Luffy's furrowed brow, eyes determinedly staring down the Marine base, he couldn't deny the truth. Pirate or not, Luffy was a better man than the Marines in this town. Perhaps a better man than a hefty amount of men who enlisted. What was a guy like him doing, aiming for Piracy?

"Luffy… Why does someone like you want to be a Pirate?" Rika turned wide eyed at the question, but Luffy looked to the pink haired boy with a very serious look on his face.

Once upon a time, he'd have told Coby about a man and a promise, a vow made on the straw hat dangling on a string around his neck. But he'd fulfilled that promise a long time ago, even if he was the only one who knew it. New promises had been sworn on the red ribbon around the straw. This time, he'd answer the question directly.

"Freedom." Luffy said shortly, grinning at the confused boy before explaining. "Pirates don't have to follow any rules or standards other than those made by the captain. Pirates can be and do whatever they want, Coby." The King raised a hand, fixing the hat firmly onto his black head of hair. "The Pirate King is the freest man in the world."

He would say he had great timing, because not a moment after that statement, the door was kicked open, and while Luffy shoved Rika down under the table, standing, the patrons froze in fear. Seeing that fear only grow at the sight of the Marine uniform made Luffy's blood boil. He stood to face the men who were likely here for him.

They didn't disappoint. Armed with the standard issue musket and saber, five marines filled in, all regretful but for the sixth who ambled in with his hands in his pockets and a smug grin on his face. The Pirate couldn't wait for Garp to get his hands on this guy.

Folding his hands behind his hatted head, Luffy casually approached the group. "I guess you're here to arrest me, or execute me or something, huh?"

One of the officers stepped forward to confirm, Helmeppo sticking to the back. Luffy stared at the confident bastard, and realized something that made his grin grow wider. He'd _scared_ the jerk. Even if he still thought Luffy was powerless against the Marine force, he _knew_ he could never fight Luffy himself. A part of him felt satisfied.

"Please come peacefully, or we will resort to force." Turning back to the nameless soldier, the Pirate smiled at the man who actually sounded like he was pleading. Either he didn't want to fight, or he didn't want to endanger civilians. Either way, Luffy hoped this guy got promoted after he left.

"I'll come peacefully." He said, almost snorting at the disbelieving shout he heard from Coby back at the table. "But only if you tell me what your plans for Zoro are."

He needed _some_ excuse to rescue the guy, didn't he?

The man stared stating the terms of Zoro's imprisonment, but barely got a few words in before Helmeppo, bolstered by Luffy's apparent docility, stepped out of his protective position.

"We're holding a public execution for him in three days!" He repeated from his late two timelines, though unknowingly. "That promise was a joke; only a stupid animal like him-!"

Oh, the satisfaction in every lifetime. Nothing felt quite as good as bruising Helmeppo's jaw at this point in his life.

Luffy's fist impacted the side of Helmeppo's face fast and hard, lifting him from the ground and a few metres to the side, leaving the entrance to the bar clear. Then, ignoring the disbelief, fear, and terror of the people around him, the already bruising man's shouts of pain and anger, Luffy turned back to the table he'd been sitting at before.

"Coby, can you stay here and hold the fort for me?" The boy wasn't getting shot again on his watch. "Be ready to spar with me again when I get back, okay? I'm going to… _talk_ to Morgan."

Leaning down to smile at the little girl still under the table, Luffy lifted the tied up bundle of rice balls on the table and waved it at her. "Mind if I give these to Zoro now? I'm headed that way anyways!" At her nod and grin, suddenly excited after watching him nail the town's tormentor, Luffy's smile widened to an almost unnaturally rubber size. "I'd say I'll tell you if he likes it, but maybe I should just bring him home, huh?"

"Luffy, please be careful! A Marine Captain is nothing to scoff at!" The young-again man laughed at his pink haired friend's words, ruffling his hair, and the boy huffed, not willing to be put at ease by the casual gesture. "I'm serious…"

"I know you are." Luffy gave one last pat to the teen's head, snorting at the thought of Morgan causing him any trouble. "But you haven't seen _half_ of what I can do." Rice balls tucked into the crook of his elbow, he turned to leave, scanning over those who remained.

A pair of the Marines had retreated with Helmeppo, but three remained, uncomfortable, and still armed, but weapons at rest. "Hey, you guys." Luffy looked between the trio, seeing them tense. "I guess he's gonna… _tell his daddy_ or whatever, so you're…? Why are you still here?"

"We're a part of Lieutenant Souma's patrol." One of the men told him quietly, before another cut in, rage painted clearly on his face.

"This base is absurd! One of our men, he tried to question Morgan, but was quickly cut down for- for insubordination!" He was spirited for a Marine who was hiding his fear, and Luffy found he liked this one too. There were a lot of good Marines in this base, even if it was mostly made up of cowards stuck under a tyrant.

"If nothing changed before we leave, I fear Lieutenant Souma will try to challenge Captain Morgan's reign on this base. He is not a fighter; going against Captain Morgan will kill him." The quiet one stated, putting a hand on the incensed soldier's shoulder.

The third moved forward and stood toe to toe with Luffy, who looked up at the taller man. "You're going to fight that monster, aren't you?" The Pirate nodded, curious to what this one had to say. It was plain to see they loved their Lieutenant, and they cared for one another. To lose a crewmate to someone you should be able to trust to command your crew? Luffy didn't want to even try to think about that feeling.

The Marine in front of him raised his hands and grasped at Luffy's shoulders, face desperate. "If there's anything you need, anything at all, please tell us! I can… I can have faith that Honorable Garp's grandson can defeat this man."

Luffy stared up at his face for a long moment, committing his, and his companions faces to memory. If there comes a time he has to fight these people, perhaps in Marineford, perhaps elsewhere, then he'd be careful not to hurt them too badly.

"Make sure there's water, sake, and food for a man who hasn't eaten in over a week ready." He finally asked of them, grinning his soon-to-be trademark grin. "One of you, find Souma and make sure to keep him away from the Base. The other two make sure no civilian tries to follow me; no one's getting hurt on my watch."

The sharpness of Morgan's axe was absurd, and he'd rather no one watched at all, then have someone too weak, or too confident get too close. He would fight Morgan himself, no hostages, no interference, nothing. He'd impress Zoro, and recruit the man as his first mate.

This time, he wouldn't let it get out too much that he was a pirate. As funny as it was getting saluted to by Marines that knew this, he also wanted Zoro to get a proper rest for once.

 _ **IT'S FINALLY DONE. I miss having more than one day off at a time, wow. Guess this is what happens when you've got a pregnant person and two people on vacation in the bakery :/**_

 ** _I can't wait for more fun stuff to write 3 I'm going to die with recruiting Usopp though, so expect long delays when we get there._**


	5. Restraint

_**So, this is going well. One more chapter after this for this island, then we can move onto Orange town and Buggy! Also, trying not to make the fights all one hit wins. I think not using Rubber or Haki helps, but rubber is such a big part of his fighting style, I hope no one minds if he slips up here and there uvu'**_

 **Chapter 4:** _Restraint is difficult_

"So, I heard Helmeppo's a terrible liar." Luffy stated, casually ambling towards the bound swordsman, Onigiri in hand.

"Well _I_ heard he had a Strawhat wearing idiot to execute." Zoro responded dryly, not bothering to try and scare his fellow supposed dead-man... walking, for lack of better term.

"Yeah! But he got his face bruised when _I heard_ he was planning to execute a swordsman in a few days." The 'Strawhat wearing idiot' stopped in front of his most trusted companion, picking at the knot of the cloth napkin in his hands, freeing the food.

There was a stretch of silence, before Zoro scoffed, shaking his head with a peeved expression. What, did he think Luffy was lying? Or did he think the Pirate was just here to dangle food and a death sentence in front of his face?

"I should have figured the daddy's boy wouldn't keep his word. Not like I trusted the guy to begin with." That surprised Luffy. He remembered a lot more… yelling between them in the past. "So, what? You gonna untie me? I guess the little girl told you what happened…"

He looked mildly embarrassed to his well-acquainted eye, and Luffy laughed, making the man's ears flush red. "Oh, shut up you damned Pirate!" His protest only made the younger (far, far older) man laugh harder, before he forced it down to a light snickering.

"I know everything," He confirmed with a casual wave of his free hand, looking down at the rice balls. He could see some of the little sugar crystals glimmering in the sunlight. "Which is why I can't untie you."

It seemed Zoro expected that. As he should have, seeing as him staying there was the only thing keeping that little girl and her mother safe. He runs off and they're as good as dead. "So, why are you here then?"

"Well~" The Pirate dragged out the word, staring up at the base. He could see the top of the statue being lifted already; was he late? "Untying you is a part of my schedule today, but not until Morgan's taken care of."

"Your schedule- what _you're_ going to take care of Morgan? You're going to fight a Marine Captain?" The very thought seemed to amuse him as he looked Luffy from toes to head. All he could see was a skinny little teenager. "Good luck brat; there's a pretty damn good reason Morgan's feared in this town."

Picking up one of the rice balls, Luffy held it up for Zoro, stating that it was from the little girl earlier, before continuing conversation. Zoro's valiant attempt to not eat the offering lasted all of three seconds. Luffy considered it admirable, seeing as he himself probably would have finished it off before it even stopped at his mouth - and maybe taken the hand too, after this long without food!

"They're only scared of him because he's scary looking and lacks mercy." If the man showed any mercy whatsoever, Luffy doubted people would be scared of him at all. It's not like he was on the same level as most other Captains, seeing as those men at least earned the position. "I'm stronger than him of my bad days, and I'm not scared of the merciless." Akainu flashed briefly in his thoughts before he banished his image. Not was not the time to start thinking about the Admiral.

"I'm going to take him down, get your swords, untie you, get you something to eat, and by the time we leave, you'll be my first mate!" He grinned broadly as he stated the last fact; he wasn't going anywhere without his first mate, even if it meant being days late to any other event he'd been through before.

Zoro reflexively swallowed too fast, coughing before he gave his well thought out response. "To hell with that! I'm not going to be some pirate! I've got a goal of my own, and I'm not gonna let you get in my way."

Luffy tilted his head at Zoro's glowering face, shaking out the napkin before stuffing it in his pocket. "Unless you want to be a Marine someday, I don't see how being a Pirate would get in the way." He told the man honestly. "If you're looking for something, or someone, we're bound to find it eventually."

Zoro frowned, wondering what exactly this kid's own dream was. It was obvious he had one, just by the way he talked. He also wondered what kind of Captain he would be if he didn't think being part of someone else's crew shouldn't get in the way of anyone's aspiration. Pirates weren't exactly well known for having dreams and this kid's carefree attitude fit 'reckless traveler' far better than 'menacing pirate'.

Before he could even think to ask, the brat was already headed for the Marine base, casually walking with his hands in his pockets. "Hey, where are you going!?" Did he really have a death wish? There was no way a slip of a boy like him could fight off an entire Marine base alone!

"I already told you!" He called back, grinning over his shoulder. "I'm gonna kick Morgan's ass." The idiot laughed, as though the idea was laughable, and to Zoro, it was. Just not for the same reason. "A Captain like him is no match for the future Pirate King!"

Ah, so that's what it was… "W-wait, what!?"

-.-.-.-.-.-

He didn't want to go through the front door, but not using his rubber powers, he wasn't sure if there was another way. As _tempting_ as it was to rocket up to the top and destroy the statue again, he figured he'd leave something for the villagers to take their stress out on.

So, taking a running start, Luffy burst through the front doors and stormed through the base in search of the stairwell. It'd probably take the man in the Lobby a few minutes to figure out what was going on and call someone down… If he called anyone at all, you never know with these terrified Marines.

Sadly, Luffy had only been in a Marine base a few times in his relatively short lives, and he had no clue where to find the stairs. Thankfully he came across the next best thing.

"Lieutenant Souma!" He was momentarily distressed, knowing he'd had one of those Marines go look for him around town to keep him _away_ from the base, but then he was glad. Glad he had someone here to get directions from.

The man was pale, but he spared the energy to salute Luffy, who waved it off, skidding to a halt in front of the good Marine. "Monkey D. Luffy, hello again. My apologies, but I was unable to-

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, hey, can you help me out? I'm gonna kick Morgan's ass and call gramps down to take a look at the base, but I can't find the stairs." He stayed tense, ready to get running again. "Oh, and Helmeppo's room; I need to get Zoro's swords back."

It seemed Luffy might have to spare a minute waiting for this to register to Souma. "Y-You're going to fight... Morgan? I'm sorry, but I can't allow that, this is Marine business. It might be best for you to-

"Souma, I'll be honest, I don't give a damn about 'Marine business', but it's mine this time too. The attitude in this base is ruining my friend's dream! I can do something, so I'm going to do something!" The man just blinked at the boy, not sure if he was smiling or frowning. "Where're the stairs, Souma?" He repeated, pulling the straw hat on top of his head, thumb rubbing the red ribbon.

"..." The Marine glanced the way Luffy came, seeming in thought. "Knowing you're going to fight the captain means I can't let you by me." Luffy's shoulder slumped slightly. Of course, he was a good Marine, following the rules. But he thought he was a good man too. "So I'll just have to escort you." Good man he was.

Luffy beamed at the Lieutenant's back, hoping with all his being that he wasn't forced to attend the Marineford execution in a few months. "Thank you."

The walk was quiet, the steadiness of the other's steps surprising them. Luffy knew the Marine was angry with and terrified of Morgan, and Souma was starting to think maybe Garp's grandson had taken too many hits to the head for all his fearlessness.

Honestly, he likely wasn't too far off.

When they crossed a door ridiculously labeled 'my room', Luffy tried to keep a mental map of its location so he could find it later. Looks like he'd have to actually hold Zoro's swords over his head again. Sounded like fun… Well, Nami branded fun.

When they reached the door he knew would lead to the roof, Luffy stopped walking a few feet away, Souma coming to a stop when he noticed he wasn't being followed anymore. The Marine's expression was understanding for all the wrong reasons.

Like the three he'd met in the bar, Luffy commit the man's face to memory, the short cropped blond hair and murky grey, heavy lidded eyes burning their place in his mind. He did this a lot towards the end of his previous life, when after Sabo had taken him in. It wasn't something he'd bothered with in his first life, just breezing through life without a care. But now he had people who he could risk if he didn't think and wasn't careful. He wasn't ignorant to his ability to lose, and to lose those he cared about.

"Go back to the village, Souma; you're men are waiting for you there." Luffy grinned, clapping the man's bicep. "Let me take care of this."

The Pirate strode past the momentarily stunned Marine with a hand on his hat, lifted his knee, and kicked the door in with a crash of metal hitting metal. The handle on the other side getting stuck in the wall was the only reason his entrance wasn't ruined by the door swinging back and slamming in his face.

There were a few yelps from the other end, and he could clearly see Morgan standing over one of his Marines, the man bleeding profusely on the ground. Luffy didn't know if the man was even alive, but he sent a sharp look over to the Marines standing by, making them flinch. "Take your man to the infirmary. Pointless slaughter of your own men isn't something the Marines usually tolerate."

One man was brave enough to duck under the Captain's eye, attempting to lift and carry out one of the base Lieutenant.

"What do you think you're doing?" Morgan's deep tone did little to hide his fury, and that one brave Marine was quickly cowed, leaving his superior to lay face down and bleed out. Luffy could _see_ the Captain's damned ego. "And who the hell are you? Some sort of inspector? You don't _look_ like you have any authority here."

"I'm not a Marine." Luffy told the man bluntly, not bothering to look at him. His eyes were locked on the man on the floor. He couldn't see any movement, breathing or otherwise. "And you don't deserve to be a Marine. More like a Mountain Bandit if you ask me."

Morgan growled, his steel jaw clenching over the cigar he was smoking. Turning to face his Marines, those not holding his monument aloft, Luffy knew he was going to order them to open fire. It was what every Marine did until they found out he wasn't affected by it.

He didn't let Morgan get that far. Before the first word even had a chance to escape his mouth, Luffy's fist was in his gut, the force of the blow knocking Morgan off the roof and over the edge. "You can put that ugly statue down." He bluntly told the Marines, before turning back to that single person who'd tried to follow his order. " _Now_ you can get him to some help… If he's even still alive." He added the last part sadly. He'd never been good at finding shallow breath, so he figured there was hope.

Not wanting to give Morgan a chance to regroup, Luffy quickly jumped over the ledge and dropped to the ground, waving at Zoro who was too far away to even see the color of his hair under the bandana. Good, while he wanted to get closer to impress the man, he didn't want to bring the fight too close and risk hurting a bound man.

The Marine staggered upright, and Luffy remembered something that made him smack his forehead. He might be made of rubber, and the fall wouldn't even make him flinch, but Morgan wasn't quite so lucky. The Base was pretty tall too.

"Take your time; I'm gonna beat you down properly." He grinned, hands twined behind his head.

Irritated, Morgan swung his axe out, swiping at Luffy. He growled, watching the boy hop over the weapon/limb like nothing. "What, you ready already?" He laughed.

"I'll teach you to defy your betters, boy." The larger man staggered upright, body bruised from the fall, but obviously unbroken. Luffy would have been disappointed if a Marine Captain could be taken out by a fall like that.

"I don't have any betters; I'm a free man!" The D. slid his right foot back, fists coming up to chin height. He knew everyone here was slow enough to predict without Observation Haki, but he was finding it harder not to use it on reflex than it was to use it to his advantage. All for the better, he supposed; it would make good control training. Maybe he could work on his Conqueror's Haki down the line, see if he could tone it down not _not_ knock people out with it.

That would be for later though. For now, there was a metal object flying for his head, and he didn't have the means to survive that without Armament. Morgan was yelling something about having his head, but Luffy just snorted and ducked, darting forward under the axe.

It really was a sharp weapon, the air beyond his range rippling as it was cut through, but if you couldn't hit someone with it, what was even the point? The bare hand digging into the underside of his metal jaw was doing far more damage.

The heavy male rose a few inches off of the ground, enough for Luffy to take advantage of, and he twisted, lashing his leg out and catching Morgan in the side, sending him flying. Sadly, he didn't reach the fencing, and he sighed. Morgan was heavier than he'd predicted. SHould have figured with that steel jaw and solid metal axe for a forearm. How did he not get splinters in his arm from that?

While Luffy's mind wandered to the curiosities of having wood _inside_ of your limb, Morgan stood again, scowl on his face, and eyes bloodshot in rage. Never had he been challenged by someone like this, not since he'd made captaincy. Why was this brat denying his greatness?

"You have no rank, nor status! I am the highest ranking officer in this base, therefore I am- !

Luffy could listen to idiots blabber on all day. Usually it was actually pretty funny! But this man had killed his own men, threatened civilians, executed people for the smallest offense, and his ego was large enough to match his terrible actions. Not to mention how his first mate was currently tied to a post, starving. This man didn't deserve an ear to listen, or attention to be paid.

This time, Luffy moved faster than anyone on the East Blue should, and the muscles in his legs screamed at him for it. His knuckles met with Morgan's sternum, pushing the hot air out of his lungs, and he would be lucky if nothing was broken. The Captain was launched off, rocketing towards the stone wall, and he impacted with a violent crash, indenting and crushing the stone.

Luffy cast a glance about. He'd accidentally taken the fight too close to Zoro with that hit, but he'd see if Morgan could even stand after the strike. At least he seemed to be stronger than Alvida, but Luffy still couldn't hold back the sigh as he ambled back over to stand between where the swordsman and captain were. He never thought he'd look forward to seeing his enemies in the new world. Dolflamingo would be fun...

The Marine Captain eventually found his feet, breathing deeply. Well, he didn't hurt his lungs yet, that was something. What Luffy wasn't expecting was the flintlock pistol that was pulled out of his jacket. He huffed in amusement. No one outside of Dawn Island other than the Red Hair Pirates, Revolutionary One and Two, and Ace knew about his rubber powers, but he was so used to _everyone_ knowing that it was strange to have people aim guns at him again. Guns without Seastone bullets no less.

Luffy's amusement quickly faded when he realized that _Morgan didn't know he was rubber_ , and he was aiming that gun at him, while he stood between him and Zoro, who, while still quite a ways away, was in perfect line for whatever bullets would come out of that gun.

What an ass. Luffy was far from impressed. He wondered if Morgan even knew what he was doing right then, that he wouldn't move even if he didn't have Haki or Rubber powers.

A quick glance over his shoulder told him that Zoro realized the same thing he did, however, instead of being mildly irritated like the Pirate King, the Future world's Greatest swordsman's face was painted with dread. He thought Luffy would dodge, and he himself was completely immobile.

Luffy grinned at Zoro, and the crack of the gun echoed in his ears.

The green haired man watched as the younger's chest recoiled from the force of the bullet, unable to believe that, despite ample time to move -and the boy could certainly _move_ \- he'd taken the blow. And it was obvious to him, as silence pervaded, that he'd literally taken a bullet for someone he barely knew. A _Pirate_ took a bullet for a _Pirate Hunter_.

However, before he could think about it too hard, Luffy's skin started to _stretch_. Instead of going all the way through in a gory manner, there was a quiet chuckle and the man's back elongated with the bullet, red vest somehow stretching with him.

"Glad I learned how to aim this." His skin snapped back into place, bullet shooting back the way it came, soon lodging itself into Morgan's thigh. The Marine fell to one knee, shocked with his jaw gaping, gun loose in his grasp.

Luffy quickly kicked it away, likely breaking the finger on the trigger, before slamming a fist into Morgan's cheek, laying him flat out on the ground. He had a feeling Helmeppo would show up and try something soon, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing. While he'd had to cheat and use his rubber to keep himself from getting one more hole, not using his power was making this a little more fun.

Morgan was down and almost done, Zoro was fine, Coby wasn't shot… This was going... well.

Luffy dreaded the moment his luck evened out.

 ** _This is going to be a... long story pffff- Still haven't left the first island and we're at, like 15000 words. Which is sadly already more than I normally manage to write..._**


	6. Men vs Monster

_**Well, that took me a little too long. I guess that's what happens when have to spend your entire weekend cleaning because of an inspection :'D Not overly proud of the writing in this chapter, but I'm liking where the actual story is going, SO WHATEVER!**_

 _ **Eh, uhhh, a bit more descriptor than necessary in the fight. Nothing you can't expect in the Teen rating, but just saying.**_

 **Chapter 5:** _Men vs Monster_

Standing over Morgan, Luffy grinned. His first victory against the Marines off of Dawn Island. It might not be his first time doing it, but it was still the first step towards many things he'd done. Would he have ever been so casual about Enies Lobby if he hadn't known and fought against so many naval officers beforehand?

Honestly? Probably. Luffy snorted at the very thought of hesitating in the act of burning Enies Lobby to the ground. Robin had needed him, that was all that mattered. He'd storm the homes of the Celestial Dragons if he needed to, if one of his Nakama needed him.

Shaking his head, the pirate took the few steps needed to hover over Morgan, one foot on the ground on either side of the man's chest. "You've abused your rank, cut down your own men, terrified the innocents you're meant to protect, tied up and starved a good man for fun, and tainted my friend's dream." He pulled his arm back, winding up to throw a bone shattering blow. "I wonder if you'll ever repent your actions."

The Marine seemed too out of it to give a proper response, though his dark eyes opened enough to give him a scathing glare. Glowering right back, Luffy growled and clenched his fist tight enough that his rubber hand curled a little too much. He pulled the fist back a slight bit more, before throwing it forward-

"STOP!"

\- and it crashed with a dull twang against the metal jaw, warping the material until the hinge looked ready to pop, bone cracking and skin tearing under the bolt. The boy huffed. He'd been planning to knock the fake jaw right off, but the shout had him pull the punch at the last minute. Oh well, honestly, while it was more easily repairable, the warped metal probably hurt him a lot more than the clean tear of a fake body part being removed anyways. Right? Like a prosthetic? Luffy hummed, deciding he think about that later. He had a moron to take care of.

"I said 'stop' you monster!" Helmeppo yelled, making Luffy straighten over the Marine Captain. Hadn't he called him something different before? Not that it mattered all that much, he'd said many times before that he was happy to be a monster if it meant he was able to protect. But just what had he changed to make him this he was anything other than an overpowered idiot?

WIthout Coby here, Luffy was left to snort and wonder what he could hold over him, but before he could ask, he saw for himself. "You certainly have balls…" He muttered, brows furrowing and frown deepening as anger slowly rose in his gut. He knew the idiot didn't have the nerve to pull the trigger, but…

No one pointed a gun at his first mate, least of all when he's bound and unarmed.

Helmeppo stood at arms length away from the Pirate Hunter, gun pressed against his temple, and terrified. His legs shook as he looked between Zoro and Luffy, one stuck between fear and insulted, the other slowly being overtaken by rage.

 _Not even my Zoro could cut through Seastone bullets_

He knew it couldn't be Seastone, but it didn't stop him. This wasn't the Grandline, but it didn't change the memories, and the _slightest of chances_. Besides, this Zoro couldn't cut through normal bullets yet either. He was… They were all going to be so fragile. It had taken his a long time, far too long, to realize that last time, but this time he wouldn't forget. This wasn't the crew he'd started with.

But they were still his family.

Slowly, Luffy moved off of Morgan, putting his hands up, palm out by his shoulders. He wouldn't do anything that could get Zoro hurt. If he had to stand here and coat himself in Armament Haki while Morgan and Helmeppo tried to kill him, fine. No one was going to die on his watch.

Both Helmeppo and Zoro seemed surprised that he would listen, but quickly both of their expressions changed. The Marine looked smug, and his knees stopped rattling when he realized he was in control of the situation now. The Swordsman, however… The man looked confused more than anything else. Was a pirate really going to stand down to protect someone who, if only in title, should be his enemy?

Didn't the kid have a dream, too? Pirate king, he'd said. Did he think he was invincible because of whatever protected him from that bullet? He was strong enough to throw a man across the courtyard with a single blow, too. Did he have a plan? Something that could save them both, or was the Pirate just playing them all for fools?

Honestly, Zoro was giving too much credit to the young man.

Luffy was stuck. He didn't know what to do. Helmeppo was just waiting for his father to get up and finish him, and he couldn't do anything until _someone else_ did something. Not without using his rubber powers, or Conqueror's Haki. If he thought Helmeppo had the nerve to pull the trigger, he'd end this now, but the only real threat here was Morgan.

What he failed to account for was the entra party that hadn't sunk a pirate ship. The extra party that instead escorted two young men to the island to hand in a bounty. He'd forgotten about the man he'd left behind to challenge the base's Captain.

It seemed the Lieutenant's specialty was stealth, because it was only seconds before he made his move that he noticed him. An empty courtyard and no one noticed him approach until there was a click of a gun's safety being flicked off.

"Drop the gun." Souma pressed the end of his standard issue musket into the bottom of Helmeppo's skull. His hands were shaking, and while the other Marine couldn't see it from behind him, Souma didn't have a finger on, or even near, the trigger. But it was enough to scare the blond.

With an undignified squealing noise, the flintlock pistol, similar to the one Morgan pulled on Luffy, dropped to the dusty ground. Zoro could breathe in relief again, until he looked over to the Pirate.

"Luffy!" He called out his name without thinking, pulling the Pirate's attention to him, when he meant to warn him. He watched, horrified, as Morgan - who'd risen when the gun dropped - raised his axe over Luffy's head. "Move!"

For one heartstopping moment, Zoro thought he'd witness someone - a _kid_ who couldn't be older than 17 at most - get cleaved in two for protecting him. However, even as he blinked cluelessly at the swordsman, the straw hatted kid seemed to _sway_ to the right, feet sliding to the side in the gravel.

The Axe slid right past Luffy, a hair's width away from the rim of his hat, and impacted the ground, imbedding itself halfway into the hard rock below. The youngest on the field, still blinking at Zoro like he didn't know why he was making a face like that, pivoted and bent his knees, jumping a few feet up, and swung his leg around, slamming the top of his foot into the same spot he'd struck earlier.

A metal jaw clattered to the floor, bringing red with it, and Morgan fell to the ground, unconcious and bleeding. Absently, Luffy noted that he was on his side, so he probably wouldn't drown in his own blood. The Pirate was too busy willing away the look on Zoro's face. It was one he'd seen very few times before, and most recently… while a little less desperate, and the face a little younger… it was the _last_ face he'd seen Zoro make, before coming back again.

Shaking the memories from his head, Luffy straightened up, taking the straw hat off of his head. "Well, that's that, I guess. Souma!" The Marine, who'd just kicked the gun away from Helmeppo, snapped into a salute, somehow looking both relieved and nervous. "Wanna get some cuffs on these two and call a superior officer? I hear Old man Garp's in the area; I'll talk to him if you want."

Lieutenant Souma blinked before scrambling for the pack at his waist, pulling out a pair of cuffs. Luffy would expect him to cuff Morgan, but he took one look at the captain and put them on his son instead. "Helmeppo, you are under arrest for the abuse of Rank, and the attempted murder of Roronoa Zoro." The blond man nodded to Luffy and gave him a small smile. "I'll have a few men retrie-"

Cheers erupted from the roof of the Marine base, and all four of the men conscious looked up, Zoro arching his neck to get a better look. Several men and women were leaning over the edge, waving down at them, and weapons and hats alike were raining from the sky in the Marines' elation, falling harmlessly to the ground around the building.

Souma laughed, tension rolling off of his shoulders. Grabbing Helmeppo, who looked spiteful and… guilty? _Good_. The man guided Morgan's son inside, likely to a holding cell. He'd come back for Morgan later; it's not like the Captain was going anywhere.

Alone but for the bleeding body of Morgan, Luffy closed the meters between him and his First Mate. Hands on his hips, he waited to see what the swordsman had to say.

He should have seen the question coming. "The hell are you? Demonspawn?" It made him snort to hear it, and Zoro's sharp eyes caught the upwards twitch of his lips. "Oi! Something funny? If you're going to just laugh, you could at least untie me? And didn't you say you were getting my swords?"

"I'm still going to! Morgan was just the easiest to go for first!" Luffy laughed, looking up to the windows. Honestly, he'd forgotten about the swords by now. It's not his fault he was so used to Zoro guarding them with his life! There were only a handful of time someone got their hands on them without quickly _losing_ those hands. "And I guess you _could_ call me the spawn of a demon. Even without my family, I've had a Devil Fruit too."

"That's what saved you from the bullet." It was a statement, so Luffy didn't bother responding. "Well, you going to untie me or what?"

Reaching for the knot, Luffy started the arduous task of loosening the ropes. Even with many people trying to teach him in his second life, he'd never really understood more than the basic knots. Honestly, it was just because he didn't care to learn, but he'd never tell Makino or Koala that. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yeah…" There's a pause, and Luffy sticks out his tongue, trying to get the damn thing to budge. Why even use rope and knots when you can use chains and locks? Maybe Helmeppo was just being extra jerkish and wanted to give him rope burns? His mental debate over whether Helmeppo really was _that bad_ right now almost drowned out Zoro's next question. "Would you keep my swords from me, if I said no?"

Luffy hummed, turning the thought over in his head. He wanted to say yes, because what was his crew without his First Mate? But he knew he couldn't keep Wado Ichimonji from the man. It would be a betrayal to his most loyal in all lives, but the biggest slap in the face to his first Zoro, who'd eventually shared the story of his ambition, only with his Captain.

So Luffy answered truthfully. "Maybe for, like, 5 minutes of complaining." As he spoke, the first knot came loose, and he gave a victorious shout.

The swordsman waved him away from the other ropes. "You know where they are?" Luffy nodded, brows furrowing as Zoro started to tug at the knots on his own. "Get them for me, I have a… deal for you."

"You'll still be here when I get back?"

"I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

It didn't take Luffy long to find Helmeppo's room, though he had to dance around all the people suddenly in the halls, half of them wanting to shake his hand, the other half wanting to _hug the life out of him_. Suddenly he understood why he never stuck around. He was tempted to yell at the top of his lungs that he was a Pirate, but he wanted Zoro to have a good meal and drink before they were chased out of town.

Gathering up the two nameless swords, Luffy nudged the window open. There was no way in hell he was diving head first into _that_ party. Words he never thought he'd hear himself think again. Picking up the white hilted blade with care into his other hand, he eased himself carefully out onto the windowsill, careful not to bump Zoro's swords against the frame.

A pair of Marines were hoisting Morgan off of the ground, a third speaking for a moment - too far away to hear - before running off through the gate into town. Probably going to tell the townsfolk the good news. Sitting under his cross, ropes dangling loosely on the horizontal line, was Zoro, waiting patiently… Luffy snorted. He'd probably fallen asleep, considering he has even less energy right now than usual.

Hopping down, Luffy fell the three stories, letting his rubber take the brunt of the fall without wavering. Honestly, if he wasn't made of rubber, he'd probably have killed himself several times in his childhood, just from his own recklessness.

He snorted a laugh at the thought. He'd also have died following Ace around, and if he made it past that, Sabo would have died of a heart attack before getting stolen away by his 'parents'.

Ah... He missed Sabo. He missed the brother from his first life, and his safety blanket in the second. It had only been a day, but it wasn't often in the past few years they even went this long apart. They'd spent almost every day within reach, went on most missions together, and usually they even shared a room. They were teased mercilessly by the others, but Sabo was unbending, and Luffy never cared for listening to them.

To be completely fair, he knew most of the teasing was his fault, but he was allowed to blame Koala for teaching him about goodnight kisses. Not his fault seeing Sabo flustered and flailing was too cute to resist!

He _really_ missed Sabo, but he knew, his Sabo was waiting for him, and another one, here and now, was biding his time needlessly. He'd see Sabo again, and he'd see _his_ Sabo again, but first… First he'd get everyone else back into his sights again. He'd have his crew, his brothers, his friends, everyone. Alive.

A wide grin came over his face at the thought. Sabo and Ace, standing next to each other, healthy and whole, for the first time in… 10 years for them, and so much longer for him. The thought was enough to fill him with positive energy he hadn't felt since… Since he'd gotten his entire crew back in his last run. He hadn't really been happy in so many years…

With that wide, elated grin, Luffy made his way back over to Zoro. "As promised; your swords!" The man stood, glancing over the blades, before Luffy handed them back to him one at a time, fastening them to his haramaki sash. For the first time in what must have felt like ages, Zoro reached up and untied his headband, short, oily green hair a welcome sight to Luffy. The swordsman eye'd his lack of reaction before shrugging; the kid himself was weirder than any interesting hair color.

"You said you had a deal for m- Ah! No, let's get you some food first, you gotta be starving! I can't imagine going more than a day without meat!" The Pirate laughed as he turned, starting to walk out. He soon noticed he wasn't being followed, and stopped in his tracks.

"My deal… I want you to fight me." It was obvious even speaking while holding his own weight up was taxing, but Zoro's gaze was unwavering. "You win, I'll join you."

Luffy blinked rapidly, brain having a hard time catching up to this developement. He knew, at the start, Zoro thought himself stronger than him. He hadn't _really_ changed his mind of that until after he'd become his most loyal. To be fair, that had happened extremely quickly. Before they'd even really recruited anyone else. But he hadn't fought Zoro… _ever_. At least, not seriously, and not to an actual victory. He was pretty damn sure if the Strawhat captains of the pasts really tried fighting their First Mates, whatever island they were on would be destroyed.

Luffy conveniently allowed himself to forget anything that happened on Whiskey Peak. Because that didn't happen. Nope.

Still, this wasn't a bad thing. A good way to gague how to start training Zoro, and figure out which opponents would really push him. He figured most of his own enemies in East Bluehe could pass on to the man. At the very least, he'd be able to prove himself to his First Mate properly. "And if I lose?" Something cliche like, 'I'll take your head/life'? Luffy snorted. Probably. No Marine would ever guess just how terrible Zoro was with cliches.

" _You_ join _me_." The Pirate choked on his own spit, eyes wide as saucers. What had he just heard?

 ** _We're almost dooooooone One more chapterrrrrrrrrrr_**

 ** _Then we can go get Nami, and WOW am I ever excted! I hope I can write her well enough, she's far smarter than me, so it might be hard, ahaha~_**

 ** _Oh, so no one thinks someone's stealing or anything, I have made a new Tumblr, and I have started posting this there too. Also be posting about my Pirate Crew that I never got around to writing for, and just all around gushing about ASL_**


	7. My Captain

_**I keep telling myself that I'll respond to reviews in the A/N, but I keep forgetting. I'm typing this before writing the chapter so I don't forget :U**_

 _ **I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALL ENJOYING THE GLIMPSES OF LUFFY AND SABO! None this chapter, but there will be plenty more in the future~ I hope the ship hasn't made too many people turn their noses up, but I understand people not liking it as much as I do**_

 **Chapter 6:** _My_ _Captain_

He had to be hearing things. "You want to be _my_ Pirate captain…?" As funny as that would be, he didn't think that was a change that was safe to make. What happens in East Blue shouldn't change much in the long run, but Zoro had pride that wouldn't let him take direct orders from a First Mate.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like that was what Zoro had in mind. "Hell no! I'm not going to be a damn Pirate unless you can beat me into it!" The man took a breath, and both ignored how his legs started to wobble. "You're strong. You're strong but you're out here, in the East, trying to recruit. If you can't go to the Grandline alone at your level, I'd… probably need a partner to get me in. Just until I'm strong enough on my own!"

Well that was a change. Was seeing someone obviously outclass a Marine Captain that much of an eye opener? He'd been overconfident til he challenged Mihawk before, where he realized just how big the difference between Grandline and Four Blue was. Then again, Zoro had the best instincts he knew, and in neither life had Luffy been this strong; maybe he could feel the tight lid the pirate had on his willpower.

Ah, Zoro was testing himself. Fighting someone obviously powerful, who would seemingly put their life on the line for yours, was probably the best and safest way he'd found since becoming the best swordsman in East Blue.

He had no reason to say 'no', did he? "Yeah, sure. But first, you need a meal and a nap." There was a brief glare shot in his direction, before Zoro looked to the ground, admitting, if only to himself, that he was far too weak to fight anyone at the moment. Luffy huffed, moving over to him and standing at his side, quietly lending his shoulder with a half shrug. "Ririka should have something ready for you."

They moved only a handful of steps before, with a tired sigh, Zoro's heavy hand pushed down on his shoulder. Luffy wondered what Sanji would think, seeing Zoro the way he is now, starving for the safety of a young child and her mother. Maybe when they all get together they could swap stories!

While Luffy hummed contentedly, casually strolling along with the swordsman, Zoro was staring at his junior - _he was younger, right?_ \- trying to figure him out. Experimentally he pushed a little more of his weight down on his shoulder, but he didn't even blink at the increase, continuing to walk with light, springing steps. Where was this kid from? Did Luffy just train as much as he did? What was his motivation?

"Oi, how'd a kid like you get so strong?"

Luffy blinked out of his thoughts, the vague image of Brooke crying over Nami's story fading as he looked to Zoro. "Well, I'm older than you, first." The Pirate ignored the incredulous grunt in favor of thinking. His least favorite activity, honestly. "I've been to the Grandline before, and had a lot of training there." The simplest answer he could give.

"You went alone?" When Luffy shook his head in negative, Zoro's brow furrowed. "Where are the people you were with before?"

He didn't want to tell the man that his crew died. Zoro's faith and trust in him was too small and fragile at this point to come clean about how they hadn't been strong enough. So he went with the next best honest answer. "They're generally pretty busy in the New World, trying to overturn the Government and all."

Zoro nodded. That made sense… "Wait, what?"

Luffy just laughed, stopping when he reached Ririka's bar. Standing by the door was Coby, talking to one of the Marines. When the pink haired boy noticed him, his face turned from thoughtful and relieved, to _elated_.

"Luffy!" He nodded to the Marine, who nodded slightly back and entered the bar. "You did it! And- and Morgan was the only bad one!" Apparently, he'd been worried it was the whole base. Luffy couldn't help but smile at how happy Coby was. "Ah… Roronoa Zoro…"

Oh, right. "They got the food ready, right?"

-.-.-.-.-

It was such a pain eating slowly. Usually he ate fast enough that most of his body couldn't keep up and he just expanded thanks to his rubber powers, but if he wanted to keep his powers private - he had fun thinking of it as a secret weapon - he'd have to eat the same amount over more time. He'd always been a big eater for his size, but it's not his fault so many devil fruits never let you feel full. Ace and Sabo's fires came to mind.

Still, the plates quickly stacked up along with Zoro's, matched evenly by how much sake the swordsman was ingesting. Soon, however, Zoro stopped eating, and Luffy just _kept going_. Three plates and Zoro stopped, but 5, 6, 8, 10…

Fork hanging out of his mouth and hands tearing at another lamb shank, Luffy snickered at the look on the man across from him's face. "Go take a nap, I'll wake you up for our fight when I'm done." He was grateful Ririka was treating, since he was sure he'd be back to broke in a matter of days if he paid for all his meals. He'd pay for supplies though; no reason to put her in the poor house.

Zoro eyed him, watching how he continued to eat with gusto, no end in sight, before nodding. "You're not going to chicken out, are you?" He taunted with a crooked grin that would be intimidating to anyone else.

"As my oldest brother always said at the worst times: 'I never run from a fight'." Zoro snorted in amusement, and Luffy grinned.

"Sounds like someone I could drink with." With a small wave, Zoro made his way to Ririka to ask about a place to sleep. Luffy vaguely noticed Coby scooting closer to Luffy at the table, having been safely seated in the middle of the two men, while he watched the swordsman get dragged off by the barmaid to the stairs.

His pink haired friend leaned over the table to see Luffy's face better. "You and Zoro are going to fight? After all of this?" Luffy didn't see what the problem was. Zoro was a physical person, and he was better with swords than he was with words. "But didn't you just save him…?"

"It's kind of a pride thing." Luffy answered. It was the easiest way to say it, even if pride was only a small part of it. For some reason, real swordsmen seemed capable of learning about someone's character based on the way they fight, something Luffy found _so cool_ since he was told that. "Besides, we'll be traveling together no matter what happens. What, you think he can beat me?" The Pirate teased with a smile, waving his fork up and down in front of Coby's face.

"Please don't get cocky Luffy! I know you're strong, but so is Zoro!" Luffy snorted. He knew it was true, in comparison to anyone else here, but it seemed reputation intimidated Coby more than what he'd seen of his new (first, wasn't he?) friend. Understandable, he supposed; people always think the higher the bounty or amazing the story, the stronger the subject.

"Coby, if I fought Zoro the way he is now, at my own best, I could stand still for hours and he couldn't scratch me." Sticking out his arm, he let his Armament tinge his fingers that shiny black. "Remember this? I can cover all of myself in this, and Zoro can't touch me without also using Haki." Or enough force, but only _maybe_ Sanji at his angriest right now could make him feel anything through it. That wasn't to say Zoro wasn't strong, but Luffy was to used to blades. Heck, he'd broken knives with his _teeth_ the first time around. No Haki needed.

He was far more used to blunt objects hurting now than swords… and how backwards was that for the rubberman?

"..." Coby looked down at those black fingers thoughtfully, what he was thinking a complete mystery to Luffy. "You have to win, so you better not be overestimating yourself, Luffy. How are you going to be King if you lose here?" He looked up again, and Luffy's eyes widened at the fire in them. "If I'm going to be an Admiral someday, there's no one else I want to be the top Pirate I'm after!"

His face quickly turned red, and Luffy laughed, taking his hand back to continue eating. "And there's no one I want more hunting me down. You'll make a great Marine, Coby; I'm looking forward to seeing you in the papers!"

And he really was. He didn't really _read_ most things the news coo sent, but at least he flipped through it to get everyone off his back. He hoped to mark Coby's progress in Water 7 again, and he hoped even more that nothing had changed to keep Coby from being trained by Garp and showing up there.

Stuffing another chunk of meat between his teeth, Luffy hummed and wiped his hands clean with a napkin. Slightly sticky hands ruffled pink hair, and he pushed back from the table, standing and scuffing his toes on the ground. "I said we'd spar when I got back, right?"

The groan he got in response made him laugh, but he couldn't deny the proud feeling in his chest when the boy got up to follow him to the back of the bar anyways.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Like last time, Luffy had just dodged and swept his feet where he could, trying to build Coby's stamina. They didn't stop until the younger was laid out flat on the ground, and Luffy laughed at him before going off to wake Zoro. It wasn't the longest nap, but it could have been worse. At least he had a nap at all.

Instead of the back of the bar - where Coby honestly was probably still laying - they went back to the courtyard, and both men had to hold back a laugh at the sight of the top half of the Morgan statue toppled to the ground. Obviously the Marines still in the building were having the times of their lives.

Standing across from one another, three swords drawn, and fists raised, the two men took a moment to size one another up. If anyone were to look in, they'd probably think the kid with the straw hat dangling from a string around his neck was doomed. Blades against bare hands, skinny brat against well built man, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro against some nameless wannabe pirate… Luffy snickered.

"Whenever you're ready, Zoro." Taking that as his cue, the swordsman immediately dashed forward, swinging one blade up diagonally across Luffy's torso. Or he would have, if Luffy hadn't seen it coming and sidestepped.

Eyes narrowed, Zoro continued in a relentless assult, yet every time he attacked, Luffy seemed to already know what he was doing before even he did. Neck, shoulder, shoulder, sweep, shoulder check, cross horizontal swipe, chest, neck, stab… Every single one dodged. Luffy thought maybe this fight was more than a little unfair.

He knew the man's style like he knew his own powers; occasionally there's a new discovery, but all in all, Luffy knew it inside out. He didn't need Observation Haki to see the next move coming. The downside to Zoro fighting him seriously, and he was if the solid swing inches from slicing his neck open were any indication, was finding an opening.

The issue was that the blades gave him extra reach, and using three as efficiently as he did left few weakpoints. By the time Luffy, at a normal speed, could get in and throw a punch, the weakpoint would be recovered and his strike would do him more harm then good. Since he didn't want to move fast enough for the impact to break bone, and he didn't want to accidentally _break_ one of the man's swords, this made everything that much more difficult.

Not to mention, a large part of his admittedly weak focus was directed to not reflexively using any form of Haki.

A stinging pain blossomed in Luffy's cheek, and his hand absently rose to feel it, eyeing Zoro as his expression went from frustrated, to triumphant, to baffled. "How are you _not bleeding_?" For a moment Luffy blinked at the man incomprehensibly, before realization dawned on him.

He'd been doing it for so long it'd become instinct to turn his blood to rubber when wounded. Something Sabo had come up with back when they first started to work together, and with how often Luffy got injured, it had saved him from bleeding out countless times. "Ah, that Devil Fruit of mine. I'm trying not to use it until we hit the Grandline, but habits, I guess…" The next time his fingers came away from the wound, they were stained red. "There we go! Okay, let's keep going."

Luffy fell back into a loose stance, ready to get back to dodging, but instead of Zoro charging in again like last time, he eyed the Pirate. The cut on his face was bleeding sluggishly, nowhere near enough for a head wound, and it had been made clear the brat was holding at least one of his powers back. What else was he hiding?

"Are you trying to make a fool or me, or are you just that strong?" He demanded from around the hilt in his mouth, eyes narrowed with suspicion. Sure, the kid didn't look very strong, with his thin, wiry frame, and the only scar on his body being a poorly stitched line across his face, but there was just something nagging at the back of his mind. Like something was tapping his shoulder but he couldn't see anything there.

"Zoro, if I wanted to make a fool of you, I'd lay you flat on the ground without even doing anything." And the kid had the nerve to just grin, like it was something completely normal for him.

Zoro stared. A bluff. It had to be a bluff. How could anyone win without doing anything? It was laughable, ridiculous! Did he honestly expect anyone to believe that? And yet…

"Show me."

Luffy relaxed his shoulders, pulling one hand back to slide his hat on. That cheeky grin stayed in place, and the thought that he was going to pull something out of his hat quickly evaporated from Zoro's mind. "You sure? You might be pretty tired after."

His grin only widened, a little too far to be normal, when the man nodded. Sliding the straw over his eyes, blocking Zoro from his view, Luffy focused entirely on the tight lid he had on his Haki. He couldn't just pop the lid; using Conqueror's Haki of that magnitude might cause any nearby civilian… issues. Unconscious for _way too long_ issues.

While Luffy focused, Zoro scowled. Was it a bluff to buy time? Was there something he needed to do, but the relentless assault of three blades occupied him too much to do it? He'd been unpredictable so far, but somehow he didn't think lying was something the man was fond of. Still, if this was a fight, he shouldn't just let him do whatever he needed to do.

He charged forward, but as he did, Luffy sighed a heavy breath, and with it, a considerable weight pushed down on his shoulders. Zoro had to stop, and adjust to the weight, but before he could, it increased. "What the hell…?" It just kept pushing, harder and harder, and he _couldn't move_.

Sweat broke on his brow. He couldn't describe the feeling as just… weight. It was easy to pass it off as such, but when the 'weight' was pressing down on his chest, making his stomach heavy, pushing against his shoulders, and… almost challenging something inside of him, there was no way to just call it weight. He felt like he was being tested.

Tests, however, weren't supposed to get harder the longer you faced it. Suddenly the weight _doubled_ , and Zoro's legs couldn't keep him up. He hit the ground, face down, and almost instantly, the feeling was gone.

"Ah, too much, too much!" He could hear the Pirate berate himself quietly. 'Too much'. Too much, but not all of it? He had _more_ of that strange power? "Hey, Zoro, you're still conscious, right?"

"Was _that_ your Devil Fruit or something?" He grumbled, pushing himself up from the ground with wobbling arms. So he could knock people out with that. Give the kid a head start in any fight and he'd dominate the world. Suddenly the claim of Pirate King didn't seem so absurd.

"Nope!" Luffy grinned, watching Zoro tiredly pull himself into a seated position. He knew Zoro wasn't as 100%, but that just made him even more gleeful. He'd withstood a large chunk of his Haki, even now, at the start with no experience with it. It just went to show how much potential the man had. "That was the force of my Will power!"

Zoro paused in sheathing his blades. "... Yeah, okay." He was sure he'd hear some even stranger things in the future, even if this trumped all he'd heard so far. "Your Will, okay, I'm… going to take a nap." After a brief struggle with himself, during which Luffy nodded and stood next to his slumped, seated figure, he decided he had nothing to lose. "Wake me when we leave… Captain."

Luffy's grin split his face and he snickered, holding back his bellowing laugh so Zoro could sleep. The official Pirate Captain tried to figure out what to do next, and once the idea came, he pushed the man's shoulder so he could lay back. "I'm gonna be a bit, First Mate." He had a boat "reward" to ask the Marines about.

 _ **I'm too far behind to respond to**_ **everyone** ** _but can I just say that I'm SO glad none of you seem to mind that Luffy's smarter now? Haaaa I actually did the math on how old Luffy is, and I won't tell in an AN, but it turns out he's still immature for his age, so I don't feel too bad about anything ooc._**

 ** _I'm sorry to everyone who wanted a serious fight, but Zoro is still in the stage where he can't hold a candle to Mihawk, and Luffy doesn't want to hurt his best friend ^u^' Hopefully you all will get some better scenes with the two fighting, what with how I'm going to do this._**

 ** _You know what I'm suddenly really excited for? Drum Island_**

 ** _Eyanami: I'm glad to see you theorizing, but I ain't sayin' nothin'! We'll have to wait for the far off end of the 'Third Timeline' section~ Also, your English is A+, friend!_**


	8. 23 Years

**_Sorry for the wait guys! I started up an Ace Rp blog and I've been writing for that a lot the last week. Put me a bit behind ^u^' But it's here! The next chapter! If you want a link to my Ace Rp blog, feel free to message me pfff-_**

 ** _But yes, read on everyone! We've finally reached the next Island!_**

 **Chapter 7:** _23 years and a lifetime_

Zoro had been just as surprised as ever that it was just them, which is to say, not very and more amused than anything else. Unlike the last times, no one question Coby's enlistment, so Luffy hadn't needed to lay a hand on his friend… though he wondered what the Marines had to say about him yelling across the water that he couldn't wait for the day Coby tried to arrest him.

Well, either way, Garp would be picking him up. If he had to call him and make sure he did, then he would. He was sure the men in the base would be more than welcoming of Coby, no matter his history. Whatever his relationship with the boy was, they wouldn't care about that either, if their reaction to him visiting them again, before claiming his crown, was anything to go by.

Luffy was just glad that the boat he and Zoro were in was slightly bigger, and that he _kind of_ knew where to go this time. Hopefully, he could shave off the extra hours he'd spent on Shells island by not getting lost, and still make it to Orange town before Nami was caught by Buggy's men.

As it was, Luffy sat at the front of the boat, quietly gnawing on his rubber tongue, as he stared down at the compass that had been forgotten in his back pocket. He remembered finding it the first time, all the way down in Baratie, tossing it aside, forgetting it again, and leaving it there when they left. He was sad every time he remembered doing that; it had been a parting gift from Makino. He'd been careless in his first life, not feeling the sentimental value in anything but his beloved hat. Now? Now he knew he could lose anything and anyone if he wasn't careful.

"Oi, you don't have to watch the compass the whole damn time." Luffy blinked, turning his head to look at Zoro. He knew he shouldn't take the Swordsman's advice, but as he looked back at his compass, he laughed at himself.

It was just a regular compass, not a logpose. "Right, right, sorry, I'm too used to the Grandline." The Pirate King laughed to himself. Of course he'd been off the temperamental seas after finding Raftel, but it had been a long time since then. In fact, he hadn't been to East Blue since he learned the basics of Navigating - one thing he could actually thank his father for hammering into his thick skull.

Zoro grunted in response to his laughter, closing his eyes once more. He still wasn't sure what to make of his new captain, honestly. The man was downright strange, and he seemed far too nice for Piracy. Maybe a little rebellious for a Marine though.

… Maybe it would be smart to ask a few questions. "How long have you been traveling like this, exactly?" He muttered his question, still reclined as though sleeping.

Looking back at his First Mate, Luffy wondered how he should answer that. He certainly had a lot of travel under his belt. "Well, I set sail from Dawn Island less than a day ago." Right? He crossed his eyes in thought. Yes, it was less than a day ago. With the sun setting, he'd technically away from his home town for one full day, about to start on his first night.

The swordsman hummed in thought, making a mental timeline for the man. "You said you were with your family, right? Revolutionaries…?"

Luffy faced the sea again, resigning himself to an evening of quizzing. He supposed he hadn't made the other man curious enough before, having just run in and gotten things done as similarly as he could remember to before. "Yeah, I spent… somewhere around 10 years with them?" It… felt so much longer than that, honestly.

Zoro cracked an eye open at that. This guy didn't look any older than 16, and he was with the Revolutionaries for 10 years? "Luffy, how old are you?"

Not getting an immediate answer was worrying, but the "Ummmm…" That followed the silence was far worse. The Swordsman sat up, staring at his Captain. The man had his pointer finger jabbed into his temple, which bowed in with the pressure he put on it, and his face was slowly turning red.

Before the color could get too bright, Luffy stopped himself. He wasn't good at Math! Never was, never will be! Besides, he didn't count during his second time. So he gave Zoro a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck. "I stopped counting after 23, honestly."

Quickly, Zoro came to a conclusion that had him nodding and laying back for his nap once more. Nothing was going to make sense now that he was a Pirate. His 16 year looking captain was older than him, had the powers of a Myth, used his own damn _willpower_ as a weapon, and apparently had influence with the Marines even though he was a Pirate. He hadn't even seen the Devil Fruit in action either.

It was probably something ridiculous, like seeing the future, or turning into a Dragon… "So, how about your Devil Fruit? What's it do?"

He almost fell out of the boat - never mind that he'd been laying down! - when Luffy hooked a finger around his cheek and _pulled_. For a brief, absurd second, he wondered if his Captain was capable of _bending reality_ , but he would slap himself for the thought if he were anyone else.

"I'm a rubber man! I can do a lot of cool stuff with it!" Luffy told him, letting go of his cheek with a sharp snapping noise. He let his grin spread unnaturally far across his face, but Zoro couldn't help but think that seeing him smile like that… Was how it should be. That face splitting grin was the most suitable expression on Luffy's baby-face.

"Okay… sure, whatever…" Suddenly, Zoro realized that there was something very important that he hadn't made sure to get across to his new captain. "Hey, you said you wanted to be King of the Pirates, right?"

Luffy hummed his ascent. It was more of an ambition than a dream now, an ambition he'd already accomplished once and probably won't even again. But it was nice to think about, nice to think about achieving with Ace and Sabo at his side. But he'd promised…

"I'm the King of the Pirates, and I will have a crew of Dreamers. My dream make sure you survive achieving your own dream." He said as honestly as ever. He'd never been a man for lies, and Zoro was the last person he would lie to. The look on his face was a nice bonus, he had to admit.

"Right…" So he didn't have to get any sort of point across to the man. "So you won't get in my way?"

Luffy turned to stare seriously into the swordsman's firm gaze, a small frown tugging at his lips. "The only time I will stand in your way, is if you're about to die facing anyone besides Mihawk." He wouldn't have Zoro fight Crocodile, and he certainly wouldn't take any opponent from him.

If Zoro was surprised that Luffy had 'guessed' what his dream was, it didn't show on his face again. He was all but done with being surprised today, and he was getting tired. "Fine. I'm going to sleep."

Staring at Zoro's laid back form, arms behind his head and eyes closed, Luffy wondered if he should continue what Koala had shown him, with his Nakama. He'd done it for Sabo every night since she'd shown him, and sometimes Dragon too, when the man was around. His Nakama were family, so it was okay, right? It would feel weird to wait all the way until Alabasta before doing it again.

Grinning a wide smile, Luffy snickered his signature "Shishishi~" before crawling over to his First Mate. "Heeey~" Zoro cracked open the eye that would have been scarred over and half blind in another life, giving the recently discovered older man what little attention he could spare. "Good night!" Quickly, the rubber man swooped forward and pressed a dry kiss to his brow,quickly hopping back to his spot at the front of the boat.

Luffy settled himself down for long, quiet night. He'd get lost if he didn't keep an eye on things, and he didn't want to know what would happen if he was late to meet Nami. At least he felt better, filling in one of his nightly rituals.

He was completely oblivious of the eyes staring incredulously into the back of his head, and just continued to watch Makino's compass. He simply laughed at how he hadn't even been questioned for saying 'I'm the King of the Pirates'.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Morning!" Luffy chirped, hearing Zoro shift. The sun had long since risen, and he could smell the undertones of dirt and plant life in the air. He hadn't seen any giant birds capable of flying off with a young man in the sky - what were the chances that would happen _three_ times? - , but he could feel it in the air that they were getting close.

Thankfully, Luffy had exercised his restraint and there was still enough food for Zoro to have a full meal, and the rubber man to at least keep from going weak limbed. Stuffing an apple in his mouth, he figured to most people that would actually be a lot of food. How had they fit enough rations for his uncontrollable hunger on the Going Merry? The thought was gone as soon as it came, as he'd never really cared to keep tabs on that sort of thing.

Hearing Zoro's responding grunt, Luffy turned himself around, grinning brightly. Fatigue was clinging to him at the edges, but he considered himself lucky he'd been napping in that barrel when he woke up in this time. His body would get used to his future sleep schedule easily enough.

"Pretty sure we're just out of sight of the next Island." He told his first mate, who sleepily blinked his eyes and yawned. Too much sleep, maybe? Luffy had to restrain his giggles. There was no such thing as too much sleep for Roronoa Zoro.

"Ah, that was fast." Zoro noted, sitting up. Luffy fought even harder to fight down the growing laughter. Zoro was so used to drifting at sea for days that an overnight trip seemed odd to him. It was hilarious.

The Captain knew he was only giddy because he'd been able to see his First Mate in the most familiar of positions. It was a wonderful feeling, the familiarity of the situation making butterflies flutter in his belly. His very empty feeling belly.

"Let's have something to eat." He said, finally abandoning his position at the head of the boat. One rarely thought of quirk to rubber limbs - no cramps that couldn't be willed away.

Sucking in his stomach, Luffy minimized his hunger the best he could, not wanting to eat everything before Zoro even got a bite. Of course, it would be every man for themselves once Sanji joined the party. But it was a good thing to have learnt when food was scarce. He'd really have to exercise his restraint in the Desert…

Soon, the Island came into view, and this time, it was with sated bellies and a calmness that would have been unnerving in the past.

"Zoro."Luffy called back to the man as he lept out of the boat. "There's a Grandline Pirate by the name of Buggy on this Island." Never mind that Zoro didn't even know the name of the island yet. "He's a bit of a dufus," Zoro snorted, giving Luffy a pointed look that was _pointed_ ly ignored. "But he has a devil fruit that makes him immune to blades. Be careful, alright? The rest of his crew is easy pickings though!"

With a laugh, the straw hatted man jugged off in a random direction, keen on finding Nami. He was pretty sure he was early… actually, didn't she steal some poor buggers' boat before getting here? They hadn't seen any trace of the men…

With a shrug, Luffy decided the best place to look for his Navigator would be wherever Buggy kept his treasure. He didn't know where he'd kept his map of the Grandline, but that was as good a place to start as any.

Though it seemed Luffy was not destined to see the clown Pirate's glorious piles of gold for himself in any life, because as soon as he reached the halfway point, he could see a certain orange haired woman take a sharp turn onto the road he was walking on.

Huh, seemed they'd just missed those Pirates she'd screwed over. Also they were early! He was supposed to run into Nami on the other side of town, where the bird he'd hitched a ride with was always shot down. It seemed going in the right direction the whole time (actually knowing somewhat how to navigate) had shaved off more than just a few ours of their time.

Unlike when he'd run into her before, there were _six_ men following her. He had to laugh. How long had she been running in order to lose so many of them before?... honestly, not that long. Buggy's men didn't have the best stamina.

Still, they were waving sharp objects in the direction of one of his Nakama, and that just wouldn't do.

Rushing forward, he saw Nami stop running, fear evident in her gaze, before she watched in shock as he darted straight past her, quickly dropping one man to the dirt with a tightened rubber fist to the gut. The man flew back several metres and wouldn't stand again for a few hours. The other Pirates didn't quite seem to realize what had happened at first, and as always, Nami was the first to recover.

"Thanks, boss!" She said with a sweetly grateful tone, clasping her hands.

"No problem." Was his casual response, fixing his hat on his head. "You go on ahead, alright?" He turned his head and gave her a wink, laughing at her horrified face as one man yelled and lunged, blade out.

He was sprawled out on the ground before he even knew what happened.

Nami was going to run, not currently knowing or caring why this man would try to help her, but instead she stared, frozen. He held in his hand the Pirate's blade, his other hand extended as a fist and speckled with blood from his attacker's bitten tongue and broken teeth.

"Attacking from behind isn't very nice…" He muttered, wiping the blood of on his red vest and tossing aside the sabre. His words seemed to snap the other men out of it, and they exchanged looked. It seemed rash idiots outnumbered cowards, for they all rushed him, seeming to figure that quantity outweighed quality.

How on earth had they gotten by as Buggy Pirates if they thought like that? The man had an eye for quality above all else!

The first two men were clumsy, and Luffy barely had to move in order to dodge the two swords aimed for the same spot. As any two things with the same destination, the blades clashed, and soon the men did as well, Luffy reaching over the weapons that had forced each other to point downwards to bash their heads together.

He pouted in disappointment, seeing two men left, both having stopped when they saw how unruffled he was by the frontal attack. "Hey." He addressed them, honestly getting a kick out of how they tensed. "Go tell Buggy his old Captain's legacy has arrived. Tell him the new King's set sail." A few seconds past before the two dropped their weapons and bolted, leaving behind the four that lay knocked out on the ground.

Distasteful, he thought with a grimace. Nakama shouldn't abandon one another like that.

"Hey, that wasn't bad!" Blinking rapidly, Luffy turned to the voice of his Navigator, baffled at the tone she was using on him. He hadn't heard Nami use the "I'm gonna use you and you don't even know it" voice in a damn long time. He couldn't help but smile; she was still so ignorant of how the world worked.

Forcing back memories of… _Marineford_ , Luffy grinned his bright, loving grin, laughing inwardly when he saw he falter. She was too kind to take advantage of the nice and naive. "What were those guys chasing you for?" He asked, wondering if she would tell him the truth.

"You saved me without even knowing?" She asked, rather than answering right away. Nami was, maybe skeptical?

Luffy's grin diminished some. He didn't like it when his crew didn't have faith in him and his reasons, even if they didn't quite know him yet. "Six guys going after one person isn't really fair, y'know? Seemed like the right thing to do!" And it was; he'd have done it even if it wasn't Nami.

"Hmmm…" She squinted, thinking, before smiling brightly at him. Oh yes, she was going to use him if she could. And he would let her, of course. "How can I repay you?"

Patting his contracted stomach, Luffy let go of the taut grip he had on the rubber, letting it gurgle loudly as his stomach returned to normal size. "Got any food?" He asked her with a cheeky grin, and a fond look. "I'm Luffy, by the way! Nice to meet you!" No one could say Sabo hadn't tried to teach him manners.

"I'm Nami; thanks for the save, Luffy." If she noticed how fondly he looked at her, she didn't say a word, thought the wariness of her steps made him wonder what exactly she was expecting out of him.

 ** _There we have it! Not only do we get a little bit of Nami, but we also get a small hint to how old Luffy is right now! First life ended at 23, which means he achieved Pirate King at 23! I have my reasons for why it took so long ;)_**

 ** _I've started answering more urgent questions I don't want to forget to answer across PM, such as why Sabo didn't go with him, and that no, Luffy is not 18, because there is plenty that had happened in this story that covers plenty the Manga hasn't._**

 **Marie** ** _: Thank you for attempting to clear up the age issue from the comments! And I'm so glad you like the whole Safety Blanket thing. I have a feeling you'll like the later parts of the story I have planned ^u^_**

 **Son of Whitebeard** ** _: I'm sorry, but I actually haven't seen the movies yet! If I've seen the movie by the time I reach where he'd be, I will if it fits, but it's unlikely I'll find the time to marathon the movies :(_**

 ** _Can I just say? I can't wait to slowly reveal how everyone died in the second life. Any guesses for Zoro? I've been real good about hints!_**


	9. Reincarnation

_**Sorry this is so late! Those of you who are up to date with the manga can probably guess why I hit writer's block for a bit there, considering all of my plans for Sabo's introduction had to be re-planned. What a plot twist though, eh? It's so cliche, and yet no one was expecting it, hahah~**_

 ** _Anyways, I'm over a week late, but it's here! Please enjoy!_**

 **Chapter 8:** _R_ _eincarnation_

"So… you and your 'partner' are traveling around… doing the Marines' jobs for them?"

Luffy would have laughed uproariously if he hadn't just stuffed a quarter sandwich in his mouth. Honestly, if he thought about it, that was pretty much it. He'd just told her he'd taken down a corrupt Marine captain, and that he was planning on fighting down Buggy, and she'd come to her own conclusion.

It was pretty damn accurate, considering everything they were likely to do in the near future. "Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to be tied down by rank, or rules, y'know?" He grinned ear to ear, tapping his feet on the floor. "Marines aren't that great anyways!"

Nami nodded, and Luffy smiled. He didn't know if he wanted to tell her he was a Pirate, knowing how much she hated them right then. She hated them more than she hated Marines, which was saying something. Pirates doing foul deeds was expected these days, but Marines? Their inactivity in Cocoyashi was just as bad from someone who preached justice.

… For a moment, he was tempted to send Smoker a letter about it. The man had been stationed in Logue town for so long, it wouldn't be hard to find a way to contact him, and other than Luffy (and perhaps Sanji's old man) there was no one else who could stand a chance against the Shark Fishman. Luffy knew he'd only won against Arlong because he had let himself go while in East Blue, and because he hadn't taken Luffy seriously.

However, Luffy both didn't trust the man to leave his post, thus allowing multiple Pirate crews into the Grandline, and didn't want to lose his navigator to the Marines. It was selfish, but he wanted to be the one to save his Nakama… Even if they didn't know they were his Nakama yet. He didn't feel guilty at all at the thought; he was _known_ for being selfish, among his loved ones.

"So, you never did tell me why those guys were chasing you." He pointed out with a smile, inwardly snickering at her nervous expression. However, it seemed he'd earned some sort of trust from her, for from her cleavage, she pulled a coveted map.

"I stole _this_ from Buggy." Nami proudly stated, and Luffy put his chin in his palm. "It's a map of the Grandline!" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously when he didn't so much as blink, continuing to stuff sandwiches into his mouth. "After I steal Buggy the Clown's treasure, I'm going to head for the Grandline and steal treasures from even bigger Pirates!"

If she was put out by his lack of response, she didn't show it, but she seemed hesitant to make her proposal. Maybe because she'd actually seen him fighting? Well, sort of. Nami's eyes weren't trained for movement so fast, even in the first life, he'd been hard for her to track.

Instead, he decided to make the same deal himself. "I'm not too interested in Buggy's treasure, but I'm sure my fight will be enough distraction for you." He grinned, picking his head off his palm. "But what kind of Pirate would I be if I didn't ask for something for it?"

Her face immediately soured and it _hurt_ to see it directed at him. "I should have seen that coming." She scoffed, crossing her arm. "I refuse to work with a Pirate; there's nothing I hate more!"

Luffy stood before she could continue. "Lumping Pirates together is dumb. There's more than one kind, even if it's hard to see in the newer generation." The Old Age and the New Age. Putting every pirate in the same category was like saying the only difference between Whitebeard and Blackbeard was their hair color. "All I want from you, is to leave a portion, say, 30% of the treasure for the town."

Nami seemed surprised, and Luffy smiled, amused. "That's it? You don't want… anything? No 50/50 split, nothing?"

"I'm not interested in gold." He told her honestly, turning away from her and the table. He could hear her eventually follow him through the door, and he happily noted that she didn't have any rope on her. As fun as it would be to scare everyone by breaking the cage - he could, even without his _physical_ strength - he'd really rather just get this over with. The sooner it was done, the more likely Shushu's treasure would be intact when they left.

Still, it would have been fun to see their faces if he inflated himself in the cage and make the top come off from sheer pressure. Or maybe he could just squeeze between the bars; it's not like he had solid bones to stand in his way… He didn't know why he hadn't done that the first time, rather than have Zoro carry that cage and wound himself further.

Luffy quietly wondered where Zoro might be now. Hopefully the man wasn't already having fun while he'd been busy; he wanted to play too, and Buggy might hurt Zoro worse than before.

"What do you mean you're 'not interested in gold'?! What kind of Pirate are you?" Nami's voice cut through his thoughts like a hot knife, and he turned to blink at her. Ah, she'd caught up.

Smiling at her in a 'I know something you don't know' way, Luffy gave the best answer he could. "I'm an Old Era style Pirate." Like Shanks, he silently acknowledged. It'd be good to see the man again, under better circumstances. "New Era Pirates are all about money and fame. Old Era Pirates are more about dreams."

She seemed skeptical, so he asked. "Do you have a dream, Nami?"

Eyeing him suspiciously, Nami answered surprisingly truthfully. "I want to buy a certain village, and after that, I… I _will_ make a world map!" She seemed surprised at her own conviction.

Luffy couldn't keep himself from grinning, wide and bright, and _so damn happy_ to hear it from his Navigator again. She had been the first… "People like you are the people Shanks would recruit, and that's why I gotta ask you; Nami, will you be my Nakama?"

She would have been surprised by his earnest expression if she'd let herself look at him, but rather than be swayed by a 17 year old's innocent face, she stood resolute in her beliefs. "I will never be a pirate! But…" She frowned, and Luffy frowned right back. She didn't have any trouble working with him despite him being a Pirate in the past. So long as he promised she could leave at any time, Nami had always been willing to do what she had to do.

"'But'?" He prompted, and she looked up at him with keen, searching eyes. Luffy smiled, tilting his head in question as she sighed.

Squaring her shoulders, Nami started walking towards Buggy's base, the _opposite_ direction he had been headed when he arrived, not that he noticed. "You seem alright, for a Pirate." He heard her mutter, and he beamed at the back of her head. "I'll work with you for now, but only while it's convenient for me!" She declared much louder, and he laughed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

With Nami headed off for the Treasury once more, relying on the Pirate to distract Buggy well enough that he wouldn't receive word of her exploits, Luffy made a running start for the building they had made base at. Across the rooftops. Honestly, the more attention he grabbed, the better. Less looking Nami's way, and maybe Zoro might actually find his way to the action on time.

Even from a distance he could see Buggy was pacing, looking stressed as he'd ever seen him. However, when Luffy landed, scaring the wits out of several lower ranked flunkies nearby, he could practically see the anger and _paranoia_ rolling off of him.

The startled yelps of his crew garnered Buggy's attention, and he was quick to take in the newcomer's appearance, scowl deepening at the sight of the Straw hat sitting under a protective hand on his head. "And just who the hell are you!?"

Luffy smiled at Buggy's boisterous yells. He couldn't _really_ hate the man, after all, he'd been a big help to him in achieving his goal in his first life. But the way Buggy was treating this town went against everything he knew about the teachings of his old captain.

"I'm the Pirate King." Was the simple answer he gave, his confidence in say so leaving a long pause before the laughter started. "You know, Buggy." Luffy started in a conversational tone, barely audible through the guffaws around him. "Roger would be really disappointed in how you're treating this nice little town."

The only one to stop laughing was Buggy himself, who suddenly looked at Luffy like he was a serious threat. "How would you know what _Roger_ thought?" The Clown Pirate demanded, stepping closer as the laughter died down. No one knew what to think at the moment, other than that this shrimp was pissing off their captain.

Luffy laughed, bouncing on his toes as he slid the old Straw hat off of his head. "I've been told by a lot of people that I'm probably Roger's reincarnation. From his own First Mate, even." Though he hadn't heard it until after they'd reached Raftel, meeting Raleigh afterwards had been an enlightening evening of storytelling.

Buggy seemed torn between relaxing and being put even more on edge upon hearing that the boy in front of him had met Silvers Raleigh. "... What are you here for?"

The question was one with quite a few answers. If Nami wasn't here, he likely would have come by anyways, if only for Shushu. A dog they might be, but treasure is treasure, and he wouldn't let that pet store be harmed.

As usual, he gave the most honest answer he could. "I'm here for my Nakama."

At this point, Buggy's crew was feeling uncomfortable. Normally their captain would have taken care of the threat by now, or sent someone in to fight, but he looked… nervous. And he was nervous for good reason. Anyone else so weak looking saying they were there for their friends or crew, that they were going to fight him with his devil fruit powers to help someone else, would make Buggy laugh.

But Roger was different. If this boy was telling the truth about Raleigh relating him to Gol D. Roger, then this was serious. For him to have even _met_ the Pirate King's first mate, he'd have to have been strong enough to traverse the Grandline, but to not only remind him of the Captain, but to claim him as his successor?

These were dangerous waters to tread. The Clown Pirate would have to proceed very carefully if he wanted to get away from this unharmed-

"Hey, Big Nose, you gonna fight me or what? I want you off of this island!"

There was a collective step back taken by the crew as the shadow's framing Buggy's face threatened to swallow it when he lowered his head. Luffy suddenly remembered the most important of Buggy's quirks and grimaced. Well, he was going to kick his ass anyway, if getting him angry works, then who was he to complain.

The Captain charged him, keeping his Bara Bara powers on lockdown for an element of surprise, bellowing about the nose comment. His run was clumsy and slow, making Luffy grimace at how Buggy was a perfect example of something he was told while training with Hack. A Devil Fruit user's number one weakness was usually their dependance on their powers. Take a Fruit users power away, and they'd be helpless.

Luffy wanted to end this before Buggy could show why, exactly, Roger had kept him around. He had to end it _fast_. At the very least, this would be a good test of where his body currently was in strength.

He knew he'd told himself he wouldn't do this outside of the Grandline, but _technically_ Buggy was a Grandline pirate, so he would let himself get away with it this time. Actually, Buggy was a Warlord-to-be, so he couldn't let himself feel too bad for testing out some of his abilities on him.

Taking a breath, Luffy leap back from Buggy's first strike, far enough away to buy him a few seconds of time. While the man's blades clumsily struck the ground, the Rubberman made a peculiar stance, knees bent with a fist bracing him on the ground. He already knew he couldn't do this with the ease he could before, but he should be able to do the basic form. He repeatedly wound up his muscles and released, trying to force his body's blood flow to quicken, but Buggy was on him again before he could achieve Gear Second.

Rolling to the side, ignoring the sound of laughter around him and the odd look Buggy pointedly made towards his legs, Luffy tried again. He removed the rubber quality in his blood - something he'd never had to do in his old body - and soon his skin was burning red. He could feel it already. His body was _not_ ready for his gears.

Honestly, he should have tried this outside of a fight first, but he had a few seconds to use this speed that no one in the four Blues could match, and he would certainly use it. Swords may not work on Buggy, but blunt force certainly did. Odd that they were opposites in that way.

"What are you doing bo-!" in an instant, Luffy's burning red fist was buried into Buggy's red nose, quickly followed up with a foot in his gut that hurled him off the side of the building he'd been using as a base. Instant knockout. Luffy laughed at the faces of the crew, his skin going back to it's tanned smooth self.

Raising a hand under his nose, he wiped away a trickle of blood. It didn't stop the rest from dripping down his upper lip, and he huffed, annoyed. He'd burst a blood vessel with Gear Second it seemed.

Wondering why he hadn't been attacked yet, Luffy glanced around the men, seeing that most of them were yelling down at their captain over the edge of the roof in concern. It made his heart warm. For such a rude, greedy man, he always seemed to attract loyal men to his side. But where were the rest of them?

They were, in fact, directly behind him. The Pirate King sighed, watching them load a Buggy Ball into the canon. Anyone else would have moved away by now, so he really didn't understand the point behind using a Buggy Ball on someone unrestrained.

Though… Luffy checked the trajectory of the cannonball and grimaced. If he just let it go, it'd hit the town. He couldn't strong fist this _explosive_ weapon -heck, his body probably wasn't ready for it-, and he couldn't dodge… Quickly, Luffy laced his fingers together, getting ready to catch it.

Or he would have, if a certain someone hadn't decided to show up fashionably late.

"Zoro!" Luffy laughed as the man cut the burning fuse, Buggy's flunkies at his feet. "You're late! I already took down the captain." He told the man, gesturing the Crew that still had a few members trying to rouse their captain with yelling. "You want the rest of them?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Uninjured as he was, Zoro had been able to take down Cabaji, Mohji, and Richie with relative ease. It… was honestly one of the funniest things Luffy had seen in a while. They really were more of a circus troupe than a Pirate crew. The Swordsman had sent them packing with their captain in tow. Luffy knew he'd be seeing them again fairly soon.

Nami had come out towards the end, her sack of gold large enough that it looked like it might cause her back problems if she carried it any longer. As they agreed, Nami parted with 30% of the treasure, and Luffy left his First Mate and Navigator to go give it to the townsfolk. He could already hear the bickering as he walked away, and an easy grin stretched his face. That was two.

However, knowing that the mayor would be headed to feed Shushu at some point, instead of gathering the town's attention with sacks of gold, he headed for that special pet store.

Luffy greeted the dog with a pat on his head, and placed the heavy bag on the ground near the porch. "Hey, I'm gonna go inside, just for a sec, okay?" He called out to the old dog, and went inside the dusty building. He only grabbed two things from the counter, a pen and some paper.

Writing a note to the Mayor of Orange town, Luffy tucked the corner under the bag, and stuffed the rest of the paper, rolled up, into his back pocket. Taking a moment to count what he had left of Alvida's bounty, he hummed, trying to remember how much the items he wanted from Loguetown cost. It should be enough, if he hid it from Nami and didn't spend too much of it on food.

"Hey, Doggy, you keep up the good work!" He gave Shushu a thumbs up and a grin, and though the dog would never know what kind of person Luffy was in this life, his tail still thumped on the ground as he barked back, watching the stranger leave.

Nami raised a brow seeing him back so soon, having expected any thanks to go on for a while longer, but Zoro seemed knowing. He sat with his back to the side of their smaller boat, smirking at his captain and looking somewhat proud.

The Swordsman was regretting his decision less and less each moment he learned something new about his captain. "You left it somewhere they could find it?"

Nami furrowed her brow when Luffy nodded, disbelief growing on her face. "Yeah, the Mayor should be along sometime today."

"Wait, wait, you didn't give it to them personally?" The Thief asked, bewildered. At the shake of his head, she sat back with the oddest look. She couldn't believe that these _pirates_ had just done a good deed for this town, saved them from a tyrant of all things, and actively avoided the thanks and possible rewards. "What kind of Pirates are you?"

Luffy laughed, stepping into the boat with Zoro, despite its smaller size. "I already told you; Old Era Pirates aren't the kind of Pirate you're used to, Nami."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

' _hey old man! the Pirates are gone so if you want to bring the towns people back you can! this is a cut of Big Noses treasure you can use it to rebuild what they broke_ ' At the bottom of the short, messy scrawl, was a badly drawn, grinning skull and crossbones, wearing a straw hat.

Boodle the Mayor's legs gave out under him and he inched forward to glance inside the bag. Gold glimmered inside the canvas, and tears built up behind his glasses. "Thank you…" He murmured, wiping them away with a wobbly grin, gripping the messy note tightly. It was time to start again, and even if he didn't yet know who he was thanking, everyone in his town would be forever grateful.

 ** _Well, Orange Town Arc went by nice and fast! Don't know if I want to write the section with Gaimon, honestly. I might just follow the crowd and skim over it .'_**

 ** _So, as it has been pointed out by someone in the comments, I've decided to point out why I have "Possible" slash in the summary. It's because if there's one thing I love more than my Gay Ships, it's my Platonic Ships. The story will predominantly be SaboLu, but I honestly don't know if it's going to be Romantic or Platonic yet. Honestly, I'm pretty sure Luffy's Asexual and just copying Ussop when he reacts to Nami or anyone else._**

 **Fireycloud** ** _: I can see why you would guess Croc to be the culprit, considering how I've been writing, but no, Croc didn't kill Zoro ;)_**


	10. Promise and Memory

**_YO I'M SO SORRY THIS IS OUT SO LATE. Like, almost 2 weeks late, hahahaha *sweats*_**

 ** _Well, at least I'm updating, that's more than I can say for any of the other stories I have uvu I think part of the problem was that I actually started writing the sequel. I'm not even to the Grandline yet and I'm writing the sequel pfff-_**

 ** _But since I'm writing what comes after the big event of this story, I can tell you all that I've finally picked one of the 3 endings I'd come up with. You- You're all going to hate me._**

 ** _..._** ** _WELL WHATEVER, HERE YOU GO HAVE A THING_**

 **Chapter 9:** _Promise and Memory_

It was odd, going to that "uninhabited" island with Zoro, but it hadn't changed much. The animals had still been weird, the treasure had still been gone, and Gaimon still didn't join them. Luffy didn't see much point in changing anything on this island, and honestly, even if he didn't try to emulate his old self, he didn't think he'd have acted any differently.

It was only when they were well on their way to Syrup village, that Nami brought up the issue of _how_ they would get to the Grandline. They certainly couldn't take these small boats. Or, well, not the way they were at the moment. A little seastone along the keel of the boat, and some reinforcement…

Even if Luffy knew that sailing solo wasn't impossible in Paradise, Nami certainly didn't, and he wasn't about to tell her and end up skipping out on recruiting the Going Merry. She'd probably realize it when they met up with Ace and saw Striker anyways… Actually, if he told her it was possible _now_ she might just skip out on them.

Well, that was a sad thought. Luffy looked over to Zoro, who was forlornly watching the last of his sake swirl in the bottle, then to Nami who was looking at the Captain expectantly… Oh, she must have said something. "What was that?"

The woman sighed irritably, but repeated herself nonetheless. "I said that we can't go to the Grandline like this!" Her hands found themselves planted on her waist, and Luffy made an effort to show some thought.

"Well, we're going to pick up a chef before we go, but you're mostly right." He said plainly, and Zoro looked up from where he was lounging.

The man's eyes narrowed at the way Luffy put it. "'Mostly' right? You mean someone could go to the Grandline like this?" Nami's eyes narrowed and she frowned at the thought. She didn't much like the idea of going into a dangerous place like the Grandline such a poorly made craft.

Well, there goes not telling Nami. That was awfully fast. "Well, you _could_. It wouldn't last long, but small numbers and small crafts don't really stop strong people from going _anywhere_. Some guys actually sail alone." Like Mihawk, he remembered, biting his tongue to keep from mentioning it. Zoro would see that for himself sooner than later.

The man's surprisingly keen eye caught Luffy's expression and mistranslated, however, it did reveal a different truth. "You sailed alone, didn't you? When you were in the Grandline."

Luffy thought it was odd how observant his First Mate was being. He'd never really paid attention to his captain, or asked questions before, and he hadn't expected it to start. Nami seemed surprised, looking between the two, while the rubber man just stare at his swordsman, contemplating his answer.

Simple was usually best. "Yeah, before Sabo partnered up with me." Or rather, until Sabo found him and brought him to the Revolutionaries. He was damn glad his brother had, if he didn't Luffy likely would have found himself at the Pirate Graveyard eventually, and he doubted he'd leave without force.

"Sabo? No, that's not important," Nami looked seconds from climbing into their boat to demand answers, gripping the rail with white knuckled hands. "You've _been_ to the Grandline? Alone? How long?"

He _always_ forgot how scary people thought Paradise was. After being there, he didn't think he'd ever find it scary. Still, it was a good opportunity to tell his most trusted what they were in for.

"Nami, you don't need to worry about the first half of the Grandline; I can handle that." He could do it all alone again, if he had to. "The people who get past Fishman Island actually call it Paradise!"

He went on to, very badly, explain the log pose system for both sides, and the power level of the men in Paradise. He'd hoped to ease her worries by using the Shichibukai compared to the Yonko, but it seemed to only make her more scared the more he tried.

He learned why very quickly. "There's no way any human in our sea is strong enough to fight those monsters!" Nami had never actually _seen_ him fight. Quick knockouts she was only half paying attention to, yes, but she hadn't seen his fight with Buggy. She hadn't seen _anything_ he was capable of, and honestly, neither had Zoro. The man had only received small examples.

He thought that over, turning to Zoro. "Hey, how strong do you think I am?" He asked, curiously. There was no way the swordsman could accurately gauge it, but it would make a good starting point. However, he'd forgotten exactly how much he'd told and shown Zoro, front his Conqueror's Haki, to his time in the New World.

"You spent 10 years on the Grandline, right?" Luffy stopped himself before he could shake his head in denial. It had been much, much longer than that by now, but if Zoro was going to assume his time with the Revolutionaries was his only time there, that was fine. "Then you'd have to be above anything East Blue can offer, even without the whole _willpower_ thing."

"Yeah." The Rubber man nodded, turning to Nami. "Going with me, you shouldn't have to worry about much, Nami. I was on even ground with my big brother before he set sail years ago, and I think he's got a pretty big bounty by now, in the New World!"

Nami looked skeptical. "Really." She sighed, as he just grinned. She'd understand soon. "Well, either way, we need a ship big enough for all of your eventual crew, don't we?"

Luffy shrugged. "Yeah, that's true." Technically, so long as Zoro wasn't allowed to be by himself and Nami and himself kept an eye on everything, they could make do with a slew of one-man ships. It would be interesting, to say the least, and if this lifetime were one to just mess around with, he'd probably do it. However, he wasn't about to leave Merry behind. Not for anything.

"I know where we can get a ship."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was a bright morning when they came upon the shore of Syrup village. Far earlier than last time, but not so much that it would cause any problems for time. They'd be leaving at the same time they did last time if things went right, so they should be back on track soon.

Or so Luffy hoped.

As she was with everything it seemed, Nami was skeptical about this island having a ship for them to take. Stepping out onto the shore, no dock in sight, it made sense that there wouldn't be a ship large enough anywhere, but it still stung that Nami didn't believe him. It took all he had to repeatedly remind himself that she _didn't know him yet_.

There was no one on the beach, and Luffy was confused for a moment when he couldn't sense Usopp behind the bush, when he'd gotten curious and checked. It was brief, because not moments later, yelling could be heard across town.

"Pirates are coming!"

Nami and Zoro tensed, prepared for people to show up to fight, but Luffy just laughed, walking farther onto the beach. Usopp didn't sound like that when he was scared. When Usopp was scared he had false bravado, and a shaky voice to match his legs. Right now, he sounded almost happy.

When Luffy heard laughter and angry yelling, be decided to scratch that thought. He was _very_ happy. If he didn't already know what Usopp's dream was, and that he could only achieve it on the sea, he'd have felt bad for planning to take him away from all of this. Heck, he already did feel bad, because they couldn't take Kaya with them.

When Luffy reached the start of the cobble road, he could see Usopp running in their direction from the village, and Luffy grinned brightly. It was… nice to see him so young and full of life. "Heeeeey!" The Pirate King yelled down the path, making his Sniper stop in his tracks. Picking up his pace, Luffy jogged up the slope to meet him.

He looked a little uncomfortable being addressed by a stranger, which was normal for anyone in such a small, out of the way village. He knew it would blow over quickly, so Luffy ignored the look he was being given.

"You're Yasopp's son!" The resemblance was unmistakable, especially from old pictures, from before the man joined Shanks. "I could see it from a mile away!" The boy, not yet a man no matter what he said, stood slack jawed, before a wide grin came to his face. Well, before the angry villagers came into sight.

Turning around, Luffy addressed his crewmates, smiling in amusement. "Hey, you guys wanna take down Big Nose's flag? I don't think the people here will be happy to see it." While Nami scrambled to do just that, genuinely distressed at the thought of being run out as soon as they arrived, Zoro just languidly stretched, enjoying having his feet on land.

Grabbing Usopp's wrist, Luffy dashed off, wind whipping through his hair at the speed of his run. "Let's go!" To the trees where they could quickly loose the angry, just-woken villagers, the pirate dragged the wanna-be.

It isn't until they were up in the trees, Usopp looking bewildered between Luffy and the ground, that they lost them and had a chance to talk. It was Usopp, excitedly remembering how Luffy recognised him, who leaned in to speak.

"So, you said you know my father?" It was the first news he'd heard of his dad since his mother passed away, and Luffy sadly remembered that fact.

Looking at his grinning not-yet-friend, Luffy shook his head. "I didn't, but I have! Like I said, you look just like him! Usopp, right?" The boy nodded enthusiastically, the smile on his face growing to sizes that could rival the rubber man on the best of days. "You're Dad's the best sniper on the Grandline!"

Eyes wide and round, Usopp leaned across the branch they were sitting on in interest. "Is he? I mean- Of course he is!" The Liar laughed through his pride, wondering how this kid - he couldn't be any older than Usopp himself, right? - knew more about where his father was than he did. The thought should have put a damper on his mood, but he was well past being bitter about his father following his dreams.

Still, he was curious. "How do you know my dad?"

Luffy put a hand on the hat on his head, thinking back, back ages ago to Yasopp and his marksmanship. Even back when Luffy was 7 years old in both mind and body, before Shanks was a Yonko, Yasopp was an amazing sharpshooter. He was a real catch, Luffy had to admit.

"They used my town as a base when I was little." Luffy contemplated not telling Usopp that his dad was on Shanks' ship, just for laughs when they ran into the man, but- But he stopped himself, not because he wanted to or didn't want to say it, but because of the way he was thinking.

The mood dropped, and Luffy looked to the ground, feeling for any presence nearby. Only an already lost Zoro, it seemed. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving!" Despite his grin and laugh, there was very obviously something off, but only Luffy knew what it was.

He jumped down before Usopp could ask, trying to clear his mind of the reminder he'd had to give himself.

Because it isn't _when_ they would see Shanks. It was _if_. Because he'd never seen Shanks before the War of the Best, in any lifetime. Because if he succeeded, and even if he failed, Luffy wouldn't, _couldn't_ stay long enough. The only way they'd possibly see the Red Hair Pirates, was if something drastic changed, or he was still somehow up and running when they arrived at Marineford.

Because he'd made a promise, and he intended to keep it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

 _He'd been alone for so long now. He hadn't counted the days, not after the first couple of months, and it had been a long time since. Drifting at sea, alone in a one-man craft, Thousand Sunny left with the Shipwrights he'd gotten to know in Water 7, the Pirate King had been without his brothers or his crew for almost 3 years. He would have been celebrating his 20th birthday tomorrow, Partying, feasting on Sanji's amazing food, sharing stories with Sabo… If he'd succeeded he'd have been sharing a drink with Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates right about now. He'd have been able to become Pirate King already, knowing very well how to reach One Piece._

 _The pain tore through his chest, a pain he was more than used to feeling. It wasn't from a physical injury, no, but something worse. The metal had rusted and worn down, but only slightly, years at sea doing little to help break the cuff on his wrist. It was one of the many things that weren't supposed to happen in Marineford, and it had been their undoing._

 _He couldn't remove the Seastone, not without the key that was who knows where by now. He'd fled the sight without it, miraculously avoiding the same meltdown he'd had last time. Rather, he'd pushed it down, down, down, locking it inside of himself so he wouldn't have to face that earth-shattering failure._

 _He would face it someday, he knew he would. It would be disrespectful to the Nakama that_ shouldn't _have been his. The Nakama that should have lived. His crew that he'd risked the lives of for the slim chance at a better outcome, only to lose them all._

 _Because he had lost all of them, even if they weren't_ all _dead and gone._

 _The rubber man grimaced, remembering all he'd left behind and lost because of his stupid mistakes. He rubbed at the raw skin around his wrist under the cuff. He'd learned to live with the damned thing, knowing if he'd been able to fight, or even move, despite the Seastone, Zoro at the very least wouldn't have died. And if Zoro had been alright, maybe Sanji and Robin would have been okay too…_

 _The Pirate King shook his head, finally stepping out of his boat onto the dry land, uncuffed hand reaching up to ruffle his hair. A habit he'd gained after he'd found and left his hat with Marco to be put on his brother's grave. It had been a long while since he'd stepped foot on land, and now that he was here…_

 _A loud growling noise came from his empty stomach, and a wry grin, nothing like what it should have been, came to his face. There wasn't much food on the boat when he'd left the last island… He also didn't have very much Beli on him, but he supposed he could let himself copy Ace's (and his own) first signature crime._

 _The Town was small and homey, and he almost felt bad for eating his fill with the intent of running, but he hadn't needed to worry in the end. A small bag filled with bills and coins was gently placed on the table in front of him as he finished._

" _You look a little lonely, eating here by yourself." Luffy felt himself freeze. He would know that voice anywhere. How could he forget? After all, he was… the only one Luffy really had left in this life. "Didn't you always say you hated to be alone?"_

 _The Pirate stood abruptly, chair clattering behind him loudly, and stared at the hand that had paused over the bag. He could look at his face. If he looked, he'd want to stay, he'd want to stay and hug him and- and just tell him everything and that rusted lid over all he'd pushed down would-_

 _He couldn't. Everyone around him was in danger, least of all because the world now knew he was Dragon's son. He would just assume something would happen or wouldn't happen and Sabo-_

 _Quick as Gear Second, Luffy fled the restaurant, another pair of steps hot on his trail. He didn't get far, his abilities as a non-fruit user would likely never match up to the other, and just outside of the front door an arm wound itself around his middle._

 _He heard the 'Luffy, I'm not going to hurt you!' but ignored it as he clung to the arm that had grabbed him, blunt nails digging into the blue sleeve. He had to go, had to get away so he couldn't hurt the only person left who mattered. The only one left who remembered and even_ loved _him._

" _Let go, Sabo." He demanded, voice firmer than her felt. However, the arm only shifted in discomfort. "Please, I'm only gonna hurt you!" The desperation shone through, and there was only a short pause before another arm wound around him, pulling him back into his brother's chest._

" _Luffy…" Sabo choked on his own words, resting his chin on Luffy's head. He wondered how much pain his little brother must have been in to think he could hurt him. He didn't question how Luffy knew it was him, didn't even think on it. Luffy probably never believed he was dead in the first place._

 _Guilt gnawed at the Revolutionary as he felt the trembling in the younger's body. He'd asked himself over and over the past three years, 'what if I'd been there?', 'what if he doesn't want to see me' and 'what if Luffy hates me?', wondering if things would have been different if he'd remembered his family._

 _Hugging the rubber boy - why didn't he feel like rubber? - tighter, Sabo could hardly hold back his tears over his turmoil. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Luffy." What kind of big brother was he, leaving his little sun to wither all alone for so long? What kind of family was he, letting the youngest be alone for so damn long…?_

 _He couldn't help the small piece of happiness he felt at having found the boy, and the part of him that was just so damn_ happy _Luffy was still alive. "I'm sorry."_

 ** _I had so much trouble writing Usopp, you don't even know. Stuck a flashback in here so I could get away from that and still get you guys a full chapter pfff-_**

 ** _I know y'all didn't ask for any flashbacks, but I think I'm going to periodically stick on in here. Cuz I'm not really going to be writing a prequel, so I might as well give you guys some info, right?_**

 ** _HERE'S HOPING I CAN GET THE NEXT UPDATE OUT ON TIME! (2 weeks = life goal)_**

 ** _-.-.-.-.-.-.-_**

 **Edit: _Oh man, I saw so many mistakes after publishing this hahaha... and then Fanfic kind of died and I could edit it :( Made a few edits to spelling (there's probably a ton left I didn't see) and stuff now, and I'm going to answer those reviews that I'M SORRY I FORGOT TO DO. Glad to see_ most _people are all good for it if I go for some romance, ehe~ We'll see though, we'll see!_**

 **OtherworldlyArtist: _IT'S YOU AND ME BRO. ASL SHIPPING EVERYWHERE. GIMME A FIST BUMP_**

 **rayningnight: _BAMF!Luffy was second life Luffy if I'm completely honest :') He's realized that powering through things isn't the right way to fix everything. We'll slowly see all the things that went wrong in that life because of his 'I can fight anyone' attitude._**

 ** _We'll have to see what the muses do on the subject of SaboLu (I tend to let the muse run away with things) but I'm not sure about any other ships. As a Multishipper, I have a ton of ships, but I'm not sure I want to write any in other than maybe extremely subtle Frobin pfff-_**

 **Zelga Lim Li 1: _Yes, I will be incorporating the canon reason for Sabo's absence :) It took me a while to figure out how to get around it, but I think I've got it down_. **

**Zelga Lim Li 2:** ** _Okay, I'm not sure if you're going to see this, because you commented after my most recent update, but I feel like it's a good time to recap what we've been told about Luffy's age._**

 ** _All we have so far is that Luffy's physically 17, and that he_ stopped counting _the years after 23. It was too confusing for Luffy's math-sad mind to think about both his physical and mental age being two different things. 23 was how old he was at the end of his first life (when he reached the One Piece). We still have his second life's worth of years unaccounted for, though, if you read carefully, I'm sure some of you can do the math._**

 ** _PS: NikZkinE, you are very cute 3 I HIGHLY DOUBT THIS STORY HAS SO MANY FANS THOUGH *sweats*_**


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